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Why Holiness Still Matters

by

John Juneman

Edited by

Chaili Beth Juneman

No Shortcuts

Why Holiness Still Matters

Copyright © John Juneman

LifeMessage International, 2012

lifemessageinternational@gmail.com

http://www.lifemessageinternational.org

Unless noted otherwise, all scripture references are from the New King James Version

Table of Contents

Introduction              4

The Foundation of Holiness              12

The Freedom of Holiness              35

The Fellowship of Holiness              54

The Face of Holiness              73

The Fragrance of Holiness              92

The Family of Holiness              112

Introduction

It seemed like it was every year in the elementary grades that we received those flyers on the last day of school before summer break.  They were on a half sheet of colored paper, and said something about a summer T-ball league at a church in our area.  To this day I can almost picture in my mind the cartoon graphics on that page.  In the last year that I would have been eligible for it, I finally talked my mom into letting me play that summer.  A friend of mind was going to be doing it also, and so we went together.  It was a fun experience and the coach was nice.  I went on with life and did not think about T-ball or that church very much in the next several years.

It was four or five years later that we were invited by someone to that same church during a difficult time for our family.  I was now a teenager as my mom, my two younger sisters, and I began attending there.  Going to church was not foreign to me as our family had attended a small Congregational church for most of my growing up years, but I, at least, had not been attending anywhere for a while.  While I was familiar with the Bible and even many of the hymns, much of this “T-ball” church was new and strange to me.  Even back to the T-ball days, I did not understand why they had a picture of a bird (dove) and flames on their sign out in front of the church.  In fact, it was this kind of imagery, which I also saw inside the church when we began attending, that caused me to wonder what kind of a church it was.  It would not be until much later, when I was saved and went to college, that I even began to understand the term “sanctification” or why this was a “holiness” church.  While there was much that was beyond me, there was one simple thing I could easily grasp --- or which grasped me:  love.  I could not escape the way in which those people loved me.  It seemed like every one of them loved me and cared so much that I was there.  I did not think that I had ever been among such kind and friendly people.  That meant a great deal to a young man going through a lot of issues in his life, and it was what kept me coming back.  I was saved two years later.  What won me to Jesus is as plain today as it was then:  it was the reality of the love of Jesus that I experienced through those people.  I have since come to learn that this is what holiness is really about.

I believe this is exactly what Paul is talking about in I Corinthians 10:23-33.  In this final passage of a section that spans chapters 8-10, he summarizes all he has been trying to say about caring for people.  Some of the Corinthian Christians had become so consumed with doing their own thing and going to idol feasts (a normal thing in their culture), that they lost any regard for how this behavior was affecting the “weak” ones --- those who were young or new to the faith.  After addressing the Corinthians’ call to spiritual leadership (chapter 8), providing them the example of his own life (chapter 9), pointing to Jesus as their only source (10:1-13), and urging them to wake up (10:14-22), Paul now concludes this discussion by crystallizing the heart and attitude that Jesus wants to place within them.  In doing so, he presents a simple principle that is indispensable for evangelism and discipleship for all times:  revival leads to holiness, which then leads to evangelism.  In the previous passage, verses 14-22, Paul made an urgent appeal to the Corinthians to wake up and experience revival.  Verses 23-33 now unfold what is the natural result of revival:  holiness, or the nature of Jesus, in the lives of those who respond to Him.  It is this holiness that is the key to evangelism for all times.  People will be won to Jesus Christ by His holiness that they see and experience in the lives of Christians.

In looking further at this concept, it is crucial to recognize some important fundamentals.  First of all, we understand from His Word that holiness is the very nature of God Himself, and that nature is love (1 John 4:7-8).  This is the nature that He desires to produce in us when we receive Jesus Christ and His Spirit comes to live within us.  Therefore, holiness is simply the nature of Jesus Christ being produced in our lives so that He may demonstrate Himself in everything we say, do, and are.  This is a crucial point for any discussion of holiness, and we can never allow ourselves to be distracted from it.  Any thinking or conversation regarding holiness must center in the understanding that it is purely the nature of Jesus, and only He can produce it in us.  Holiness is not a thing, a doctrine, or a set of standards.  It is the demonstration of the nature of Jesus.  Paul’s main point in this passage is that it is this nature --- the holiness of Jesus Himself in us --- that will draw people to Him.  That could seem to be a very basic and simplistic concept.  Yet, Paul lays out in this passage how it is the fundamental of evangelism and discipleship.  The revelation of His holiness through us in everyday life is God’s plan for winning people to Jesus and making disciples.  This has never been more crucial than in these days of increasing pluralism and skepticism that we now face in North America.  People are looking closely for the real thing: for something that is different than what they see all around them.  That is why holiness is the key, which is also why we need revival.  Revival leads to holiness, which then leads to evangelism.  This was true for the Corinthians.  It has been true in every period of church history.  It is critical for us today.

How easy it is for me to want to skip ahead in this process.  Who of us does not want to see the world won to Christ?  We want to see as many people as possible come to know Jesus. We would like to see our churches grow, with families and nations being transformed.  Yet, it is clear from the Word that there are no shortcuts.  That is what Paul is making so clear here in this passage.  Revival leads to holiness, which then leads to evangelism.  Evangelism suffers when holiness and growth in Christ is not evident in the lives of Christians.  When the world does not see in our lives something different from what they see in the world on a daily basis, what would compel them to want to know the Jesus of whom we speak?  If we speak of a Jesus that transforms our lives, and the world sees little change in us, how many will be interested in what they would rightly perceive as just another religion?  This highlights again the need for revival in our lives, our families, our churches, and our nation.  Revival is an awakening of the heart and soul in continual response to Jesus which allows Him to work in us and to produce His nature through us.  This is what discipleship is all about, and there are no shortcuts.  It is persistent seeking and ongoing growth in Him, taking place over weeks, months, and years.  As Eugene Peterson wrote over thirty years ago, it is “a long obedience in the same direction.”  Far from it being a drudgery or something to fear, this growth in relationship with Jesus is the joy of the Christian life which invites all those around us to experience the same.

We certainly live in challenging days.  Some have called North America the most difficult mission field in the world, and Lesslie Newbigin called our culture “the most challenging missionary frontier of our time.”  As the church, we could be tempted to look around and be discouraged.  Yet, the church has always faced times like these.  In fact, our current culture can begin to look more and more like the one we read about in the first century.  It was in that time which the church was born and the New Testament was written.  They had no buildings, programs, or budgets.  Many of them lived on the edge of existence, and some of them lost their very lives for the sake of the gospel.  Yet, these people responded to Jesus with all of their hearts, and lived in the power of His indwelling Spirit.  He produced His nature in them and demonstrated to the world something radically different than had ever been seen.  Multitudes of people were won to Jesus, and history was altered.  Do we not desperately need the same thing to take place in our day?  We can be encouraged, confident, and hopeful, because He is the same Jesus yesterday, today, and forever.  He can still produce His nature in people and impact the world just as He always has through those who will live in response to Him.  The best part about it all is that none of it is our duty or responsibility.  It does not depend upon us.  It is not a weight upon our shoulders.  If we will just continue in intimate relationship with Jesus; if we will be open, attentive to, and seeking after Him; if we will respond to Him with all of our hearts; if we will just be caught up in Him and allow Him to be the love of our lives . . . then we will find that He has been forming His holiness in us, perhaps without us even noticing.  We can simply live in the wonder and amazement of who He is, and let Him show that to the world through us as He desires.

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).”

John Juneman

Watertown, TN

July 2012

The Foundation of Holiness

1 Corinthians 10:23-24

It is impossible to understand anything in scripture apart from context as it is the single most important factor in bible study.  1 Corinthians 10:14 and following is a strong example of this.  I have wrestled for some time over these verses.  What I discovered was the desperate need to go back to context again.  In chapter 10, Paul is dealing with extremely deep matters of spiritual truth as he desires to lead the Corinthians into truth so that their eyes can be opened to reality.  However, to get to this point, it is necessary to see that this discussion started over two chapters earlier when Paul began addressing their question of whether or not it is acceptable to eat food that has been sacrificed to idols.  When we look over the entirety of these chapters, we see that Paul has been slowly walking them up a few levels to get the point where he is in 10:14 and following.  This seems to highlight a spiritual truth that we will address even further in the next chapter when we look at verse 15.  This simple principle is that we receive more truth as we respond to the truth that we have already been given.  The more we respond to Jesus, the more we see.  And that “seeing” will include an awareness of things in the heavenly realms that can only be revealed by the Holy Spirit.  Without a constant responding, there can be no awareness of the heavenly realms and the reality of what is really happening in the “unseen.”  This is where Paul has come to in 1 Corinthians 10:14 and following, but it all begins back in chapter 8.

Paul began to address the particular issue at hand back in chapter 8.  The question had come from the Corinthians as to whether or not it was acceptable to eat food that had been sacrificed to idols.  Paul’s approach is to take his theme of the letter and apply it to this situation.  The theme of 1 Corinthians can be found in chapter 6, verse 19:  “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”  The message of the letter is that Jesus wants to live in us through His Spirit so that He may be demonstrated through our physical bodies in every situation.  Thus, this question of eating food sacrificed to idols is not a simple matter of giving appropriate guidelines to be followed.  There is a deeper spiritual issue at hand.  The question was not whether the Corinthian leaders were in the right or in the wrong in their eating of this food, but whether or not they would be willing to surrender their rights to themselves.  Would they allow their lives to be the demonstration of Jesus in whatever way He chooses?  Furthermore, would they realize that they themselves are spiritual leaders of those people in the church that Paul calls the “weak” (those who are new to the faith, new to the church, or not yet believers)?  The call of the saints is NOT to live for themselves, but to be the ones who will be continually caring for others and leading them to Jesus in every way.

Paul then offers chapter 9 as a picture of this kind of spiritual leadership.  It is a testimony of what Jesus has done and is doing in his own life.  Some of the most powerful verses of the New Testament are contained in these passages.  Paul says that “I have become all things to all men, that I might be all means save some (v. 23).”  The key to this entire chapter is to see that this is not something Paul has merely decided to do by his own will or ability.  It is the overflow of Jesus in his life.  Paul’s single heart passion, source of confidence, and reward is Jesus.  Because of Paul’s complete and total response, what is seen in his life is the very love of Jesus flowing to those around him.

After pointing to these truths as the very fundamental of the issue of whether or not to eat food that has been sacrificed to idols, Paul now returns to specifically address the issue of idolatry itself in chapter 10.  Verses 1-13 are a warning to the Corinthians from Israel’s history (Paul must have taught a great deal from Exodus and Numbers in the eighteen months he spent with the Corinthians on his first visit there).  The point is that the Corinthians may see themselves in this “mirror” and recognize the danger of idolatry, which is looking to anything or anyone besides Jesus to meet the needs of their lives.  His provision is overwhelming, as verse 13 makes clear.

Now, beginning in verse 14, Paul now deals more head-on with idolatry and its danger, particularly in the spiritual realm.  What he attempts to do in this verse and the following will be to offer a few key essentials that will help the Corinthians to be awakened to what is really going on in the spiritual realms with this issue of idolatry.  The first of these essentials for spiritual awakening can be clearly seen in verse 14.

The urgency of responding

It has been said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”  Often times in Greek, it can be said that one word is worth a thousand.  This is partly due to the depth of the Greek language, which is very expressive and visual in nature.  In the case of verse 14, it is also true again because of context and everything that has led up to this verse.  Paul begins this section in verse 14 with an extremely strong word that is very rarely used.  In fact, this Greek word is only used twice in the New Testament, once here in verse 14 and once in 1 Corinthians 8:13.  Interestingly, both of these occurrences are in this same section of chapters 1 Corinthians 8-10, where Paul is dealing with this issue of idolatry.  This tells us something about the seriousness of this issue.  This word that begins verse 14 is generally translated, “therefore.”  However, this is not the “normal” word that is used for “therefore.”  It is something of a “beefed up” version of “therefore.”  In an even stronger way, it points back to what has previously been said and calls for a conclusion based on that.  Two important ideas come to light in this.

First of all, notice that Paul is always basing everything in his life --- and the lives of others --- on truth.  By using this word at the end of chapter 8, he was speaking of his own response to the truth he had been sharing.  Now, here in chapter 10, he is calling for a response from the Corinthians.  Paul always has a reason for what he is doing, and that reason is Jesus and the truth that Jesus has revealed to his own life.  He simply has decided that his life is going to be about the truth of Jesus Christ.  Every area of his living is constantly brought under the authority of the truth.  There is no area of Paul’s life that is “off limits.”  There are no doors to any part of his heart or attitude that are “locked.”  This leads Paul to have a seeker mentality in his life.  He is always open to more truth --- to whatever Jesus wants to say to him next.  The question is always, “What do You wish to speak to or transform next, Lord?  It is all yours.”  And because this is how Paul lives, it is what he is always presenting to others, like the Corinthians.  It is the only way to live.  What a thing it would be for me to take that approach in my life.  We all know what it is like to give our lives to something.  Many of us have given our lives to a career, the pursuit of some goal, a relationship, to the accumulation of money or something else, or many other things.  When we give our lives to something like this, we are willing to subject everything else in our life to it.  Everything else takes a “back seat” to it or is affected in some way by the pursuit.  It is like the Olympic athlete that commits his or her life to be all about a particular sport.  It is commonly known that Olympic athletes “eat, sleep, and drink” their sport and the training for it.  That is how Paul is with Jesus and the truth.  That is why he says at the end of chapter 9, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”  He paints himself as the athlete who has committed his entire life to this one pursuit of Jesus.  He is inviting the Corinthians to do the same.  Based on all the truth that has been shared leading up to verse 14, will they now respond to it?  Will I also subject my entire life to Jesus in this way?  Would I bring every area, without reservation, under the light of truth and be willing to respond to whatever He reveals?  Will I open myself to Him and His truth and respond no matter what it costs me?  Will I right now surrender to Him any reservation that I have?

A second thing that this stronger “therefore” reveals even further is an urgency that Paul feels about responding.  It says that we MUST respond to truth.  There is no option to just sit still or remain “on the fence.”  Truth always requires a response.  It was this way in chapter 8 when Paul laid out the truth to them about the spiritual responsibility of caring for the “weak” ones in the church.  After sharing all of this, Paul himself was so convicted by the truth that he said, “THEREFORE, if food makes my brother to stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother to stumble.”  We can easily hear the urgency and “no nonsense” nature of this response.  Paul said this with all seriousness because the truth has so gripped him.  This was a man that had been spoken to by God and he was not about to play any games with it.  In chapter 10, Paul is now calling the Corinthians to the same kind of urgency.  They MUST respond to this truth that he has laid out in the previous verses and chapters.  This is no time for delay, distractions, or apathy.  Truth is a life or death matter, and it is urgent that we respond NOW.

This is in contrast to the deception that Satan would have us to believe.  As opposed to urgency about responding, Satan would have to be casual about responding to truth.   This kind of spiritual deception can take hold in our lives and even in a church if we are not careful.  If we do not respond to truth, we can easily slip into a kind of spiritual sleep in which we believe that responding is “no big deal,” or that it is not something to get passionate or excited about.  In an ironic twist, we can find ourselves getting excited or emotional about small things (like the style of music for example), and lax about the important thing, which is the truth.  Satan could convince us that it is not “normal” to be urgent about truth and responding to Jesus all the time.  The lie says that being this kind of really zealous or excited Christian is OK for those who want to be that way, but it is only an extra “option” for Christians and certainly is not a requirement.  In this deception, the belief is that there are three categories of people.  First, there are people who are not saved.  Secondly, there is the zealous type of “super-Christians” (like Paul) who are really into seeking Jesus and responding to truth all the time regardless of the cost.  However, again, this second category is an extra option and not a requirement.  Thirdly, there are “normal” Christians who are good, church-attending folks that accepted Jesus at some point but don’t necessarily respond to truth all the time.  For this group, Christianity is a more laid back thing.  They might say to those in the second category, “Relax.  You don’t have to go overboard.”  This is a deception straight from Satan.  For, in the Word, there are not three categories of people, but only two (see verses like Matthew 12:30 and 1 John 5:12).  The message of the New Testament is that we are either in Him or we are not.  We are either responding to Him or we are not.  There is no third category.  This places a great urgency on how we respond.  There is no room for delay, or even a casual attitude toward the truth and what God may be speaking to me.  I MUST respond, and it is critical for my spiritual life that I allow my heart to be open to Him at all times.  I will respond no matter what it costs, because my spiritual life depends upon it.  Am I willing to be urgent about Jesus and His truth alone?  What would it look like in my life to come to every worship service with this attitude?  How would it affect my daily life and how I look at His Word?  How would it change my priorities and what I really dwell on?

Run to Jesus

After getting our attention with the strong “therefore” at the beginning of the verse, Paul goes on to give the imperative action that must take place.  Because of the grammar of this verb, there are some things we can know about this action which Paul is urging the Corinthians to take before we even know the definition of the word itself.  First, it is in the imperative mood in Greek.  This is generally the form used when a command or urgent direction is being given.  Notice again how the urgency of all this is being highlighted.  It is no time to be casual.  Secondly, it is in the active voice, which means it is an action that the Corinthians themselves are to do.  This is something for them to really pursue.  Thirdly, it is in the present tense, which indicates that this is an ongoing action that Paul is urging them to take.  It will be not a quick, “one-time” thing.  It will be something that they are always to do or to keep on doing.  What IS this action?  Paul says, “Therefore, my beloved, FLEE from idolatry.”

The Greek definition of the word translated “flee” is not surprising from what we understand of that word in English.  It carries in it the basic idea of running away from something where danger is involved.  Notice once again (and again and again . . .) the tone of urgency in all of this.  Paul is urging in his most serious voice (imperative mood) that the Corinthians would themselves take the action (active voice) of fleeing continually (present tense) from idolatry.  We can imagine someone seeing a loved one in a dangerous situation and shouting to them, “FLEE!”  That is the feeling of what is happening here.  Perhaps an even better illustration of it is another situation in scripture where this same word is used in the same exact form.  It is in Matthew 2:13 after the wise men have just left from their visit with Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus.  “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, FLEE to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.’”  God is warning Joseph and giving him direction in the clearest way possible so that His plan will prevail in the face of danger and threat.  What is so striking about this incident is both the boldness and the clarity of the warning.  It is urgent, and God was not going to let Joseph miss it.  God is always the same on this, and He will not allow us to miss what is important.  This is why it is the same tone Paul is taking with the Corinthians.  This matter is too important to miss in light of the spiritual danger that the Corinthians faced, even if they were not yet altogether aware that they were at risk.  We keep coming back to the urgency of truth and responding to Jesus in whatever He reveals to us.

Jesus Himself is the key to this warning, which is especially made clear one verse earlier in verse 13.  If we were to read verse 14 alone, not in its context, we would only hear an urgent warning to “flee FROM IDOLATRY.”  It could be somewhat disorienting, raising several questions (at least for me) to which I might not know the answers.  What IS idolatry in my life?  What are the things from which I need to flee?  How do I flee?  Where do I run?  There is great comfort and encouragement in verse 13, and without it, our warning in verse 14 would make little sense.  Yet, in light of verse 13 and the previous verses, the warning is not fearful or intimidating.  Rather, it is full of hope.  Verse 13 reads:  “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”  This verse is deep with meaning, and it unlocks the questions of what it means to flee from idolatry.

Underneath all of the truth of verse 13 is the fact of God’s faithfulness, which is stated right in the middle of the verse.  It is not the picture of a distant God who has left us to work things out for ourselves.  The whole reality presented in verse 13, first of all, is of a God who is intimately involved in our lives.  He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able.  This means that He is not far off, but right here with us in the situation where we are tempted.  As we trust in Him and respond to Him, His mighty hand is at work and holding back the floodwaters of what could overwhelm us.  Paul’s words in verse 13 point us back to the very things he reminded the Corinthians of in verses 1-4.  The same God who cared for the Israelites in their Exodus from Egypt is the same God who cares for us.  He is the same provider for us now that He was then, and His provision for us in all things is found in Jesus Christ.  This is the simple message of this entire section of 1 Corinthians.  Why would we look to anyone or anything else as our provision when Jesus is all we need?

Some of the specific wording of verse 13 then gives a very powerful picture of how this provision works in the face of temptation.  Paul says that with the temptation (note that God does not take us out of the temptation, but does something in our lives in the midst of the temptation) God “will make the way of escape.”  Two particular elements in this phrase shine in the original Greek.  First of all, Paul says that God will MAKE the way of escape.  The word “make” is a translation of the Greek verb poieo.  This Greek word, poieo, was used in their ancient culture for artistic activity.  It is the concept of an artist who has been involved in creating a piece of artwork.  I suppose my favorite example of this is to imagine a painter.  This painter has an inspiration or idea inside that no one but he or she can “see.”  This is because the art does not yet exist except in the mind and heart of the artist.  Then, through the creative process, what was inside of the artist comes to be “seen” on the outside as he or she expresses it through the artwork.  Something brand new --- never before seen --- has come into being.  This is the idea that Paul expresses about God “making” the way of escape for us in temptation.  All of us have been in a tough spot before when it seemed there was “no way out.”  We feel like the Israelites must have felt when they were trapped between Pharoah’s army and the Red Sea.  We just can’t see how we can make it.  It is in times of great need, when we can’t “see” the way out, that we are tempted to look to something or someone other than God to meet our need and be our “escape.”  We are just interested in whomever or whatever will save us!  Yet, Paul is reminding the Corinthians that God specializes in making a way when there seems to be no way!  As the old song says, “He works in ways we cannot see; He will make a way for me.”  While we may not be able to see a way out of the “spot” we find ourselves in, God has a way for us all the time.  As we trust in Him, and respond to Jesus in our lives, God will do something that we never could have imagined.  We find ourselves back again to the urgency of responding.

The second element that shines in verse 13 is “the way of escape” that God will make for us.  The Greek word from which this is translated comes from a Greek verb that can mean, “to disembark.”  The image is of getting off a ship.  The “way of escape” is the “gangplank” that you step onto and walk on to get off of the ship.  Paul’s message in all of this is that Jesus is our gangplank in any temptation.  Temptation can be just like a ship that is heading out to sea.  As the Cathedral Quartet used to sing, “Sin can take you farther than you want to go, slowly, but wholly, taking control.”  I can feel that I am stuck on this ship that is taking me where I don’t want to go, and that there is nothing I can do about it.  The beautiful picture of verse 13 is that I have a gangplank --- an escape.  Jesus is my rescue and my deliverance.  I don’t need to go any further on this ship.  As I respond to Him with all of my heart and say “Yes” to Him, God can make a way for me that I could have never imagined.  He may not remove all of the temptations from my life, but He most certainly will make the way for me in Jesus to not be swept away anymore.  I can live in victory.

This means that the way to run away from temptation is to run to Jesus.  On my own, I can try and try to run away from and fight my temptations.  Yet, when I do this, I always seem to lose.  The more I wrestle with them, the bigger they get.  The more I try not to think about them, the more I end up dwelling on them.  That is why Jesus is the answer.  He is my way of escape.  This is why verse 13 is so crucial to our understanding of the warning in verse 14.  “Flee from idolatry!”  How?  Run to Jesus!  I will run to Him with all my energy and strength.  We are not speaking of running to a Jesus who is far away, but a Jesus who comes to live in us through His Spirit --- One who desires to be intimately involved in every part of our lives.  I will seek Him with all my heart and mind.  I will say “Yes” to Him in whatever He speaks in my life, no matter what it costs.  One further benefit in this is that I don’t need to figure out what I need to flee from.  I can easily get caught up in trying to look at my own life and get rid of all my own idolatry or anything that hinders me.  Whenever I try to figure out my own life in this way, it always becomes heavy, oppressive, and burdensome.  I can come up with my own list of all the things in my life that I need to “flee” from in order for me to be “right” with God.  I can spend my whole life running away from things and being miserable the whole time.  In an ironic way, my running away from idolatry in my own life can become its own form of idolatry.  I make an idol out of my own rules, and I trust in that to make me “right.”  What a peace there in just trusting in Jesus and responding to Him.  I don’t have to figure out where the idols are in my life.  I just allow Him to reveal anything in my life that can take His place, and then I run with full speed to Him!

Conclusions

Three very important things stay with me from the warning of verse 14.  First, it is really good to know that this warning is given with the tone of love.  Even as Paul gives this very serious warning, he calls the Corinthians, “my beloved.”  This is not a beating.  Paul is not wagging his finger at them.  He is speaking as a spiritual parent to the people that he loves deeply.  This is as a father speaking to his children in the face of danger.  The Corinthians were getting into dangerous territory, whether they realized it or not.  They were getting into something that would take them further than they wanted to go.  This was a spiritual life or death matter.  Paul is not writing just to yell at them.  He speaks everything with love, and with a deep care for them.  It is good to know that this is how Jesus is speaking to us today.  If there is something in our lives that is a danger or concern, He will be speaking to us to “flee” from it and to run to Him.  This is an invitation out of love, not condemnation or fear.  I can trust Him with my life.

A second thing that stays with me is that I just simply need to continue in the attitude of seeking.  I need to always remain open to what He is revealing.  He will be sure to reveal anything in my life that can be an idol --- anything or anyone I am looking to in place of Him.  He may not reveal everything all at once, but He will do so one thing at a time.  He is gracious in this way.  Relationship with Jesus is a process of growth, and I will grow in Him as I respond to Him each and every time He speaks to me.  He is not finished with me, and I most certainly will not be finished this side of heaven.  There is always more growth.  I don’t need to be afraid to be open to Him revealing anything else in my life that might be an idol.  It might be painful, but there is also great joy in the growth in Him.

Finally, the clearest thing that we hear in this verse is to just run --- to run to Jesus with our entire lives.  There is such urgency in this that it cannot be overstated.  As Paul will go on to describe more, there is great danger out there and around us in the spiritual realm, for everything outside of Jesus is demonic.  Yet, He is our safe place and our deliverance from temptation.  This ought to cause us to run to Him with all urgency and without delay.  For it is only outside of Him that the danger lies.  Satan will attempt to deceive us into believing that we don’t need to go overboard --- that we can be more casual about truth.  Satan can tell us that this kind of running to Jesus may be something that a few super-Christians choose, but it is not what most of us “normal” Christians do.  We can be deceived into thinking that we are OK where we are.  We can be lulled to sleep by assuming that we are OK where we are because others around us are casual also.  This was a part of the issue that Paul will be touching on with the Corinthians.  Just because idol worship is a “normal” part of the Corinthian culture, even for some Corinthian Christians, does not make it safe.  If the Corinthians were going to respond to Jesus and the truth Paul was bringing to them, they would have to make a break with what was seen as “normal.”  They were going to have to run to Jesus and abandon all else.

Will we run to Jesus in this way?  It is not like I have to go looking for Him, for He has always been in pursuit of me.  He desires to live inside and be intimately involved in every area of my life.  Will I make the decision in my life to run to Him?  Will I lead my family in running to Him?  Who am I praying for in these days?  If I deeply desire to see my loved ones know Him, the answer is clear.  I must run to Him.  Jesus is my only safety, and my running to Him points the way to safety for everyone around me.  This is what Paul was doing for the Corinthians, and it is what God wants to do through my life today. Will I lead the way to Jesus?

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION

1.       What area or situation in my life needs to be brought under the authority of Jesus and His Word?

2.       Am I running to Jesus?  Honestly, how urgent am I in my running to Him?  What people in my life need to be impacted by my running to Him?

3.       What temptation or hindrance would keep me from running to Him?  Will I abandon everything for the sake of running to Him?

The Freedom of Holiness

1 Corinthians 10:25-27

Conscience

If not read in context and an understanding of where Paul is coming from, one could possibly walk away from 1 Corinthians 10:25-27 with the belief that he does not think that conscience is all that important.  “Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; for ‘the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.’  If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake.”  However, careful attention reveals that conscience is a big deal as it is strongly mentioned throughout the New Testament.

“But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God (2 Corinthians 4:2).”

“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck (1 Timothy 1:18-19).”

“Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably (Hebrews 13:18).”

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed (1 Peter 3:15-16).”

Speaking of himself and his own pursuit in Acts 24:16, Paul writes:  “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.”  From these strong statements throughout the New Testament, we get the sense of conscience being about purity, having a clear heart, honor, integrity, and the living out of our faith in the details of everyday life.  In other words, it is the concept of holiness.  Holiness is not a side issue for Christianity or an extra “bonus” option for those who choose to go on to higher levels.  The congruency of our lives with the gospel is fundamental to what it means to be a Christian.  Jesus came not only to forgive us of our sins, but to produce His very own life of holiness through us in this real world.  We are made and called to be the reproductions of His life in our day and time.  Conscience, as Paul calls it, is indeed a big deal.

What Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 10:25-27, however, is that the pursuit of holiness need not be harsh or sour.  There is a freedom about this holiness.  It is significant that Paul concludes verses 25 and 27 with an identical statement, as if it is something of a theme.  The phrase is:  “asking no question for conscience’ sake.”  The key to understanding this phrase and how it changes the lifestyle of holiness is the Greek word which is translated by the two English words, “asking” and “question.”  This Greek word, anakrino, has the sense of examining something closely, even to “interrogate.”  In the ancient Greek culture, it was a term used for when the magistrate was to examine a person concerned in a lawsuit in order to prepare the matter for trial.  It is no kind of casual questioning.  The word interrogation probably conveys the concept to our modern minds.  It paints the picture of someone sitting under very intense questioning, possibly even antagonistic at times.  You have been declared an “enemy witness.”  Perhaps we have all experienced this, to some degree, in our lives when we were questioned about something or were questioning someone else.  When there is an assumption of guilt from the beginning, the “questions” take on a completely different tone.  It is one thing when a sibling asks the other if he or she has seen a certain toy that is lost.  It is quite another tone when the “question” is asked with the presumption that the other sibling actually took the toy and did something with it!  That is the tone of interrogation, and it is the sense that we get from this word that Paul is using.  In repeating this important phrase in both verses 25 and 27, Paul is making the clear point that interrogation is not a part of holiness.  In fact, a Greek word included in the phrase literally means “not one.”  If literally translated, it would be something like “ask not one single question,” or, in a looser translation, “never interrogate.”

The reason that interrogation can never be a part of holiness is that interrogation is really the essence of legalism.  It is an effort to take matters into our own hands and to try to produce or do something that only God can do through the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ.  Our interrogation, or legalism, seems to have two possible targets.  First, we can target others by our legalistic interrogation.  This damaging approach looks at other people and analyzes them to discover any way in which they do not meet up to some standard.  Some people, particularly new Christians or even people just visiting a church, have been turned off because of this sense of being “looked over.”  It was like going before “the inquisition.”  In some tragic cases, new people could just sense that this was taking place because of the spirit of legalism in a place.  In even more disastrous situations, church people took it upon themselves to “talk” to some young person, visitor, or new Christian about something that did not meet up to the standards.  It is one thing to do this in love with someone with whom we have built relationship; it is quite a different thing to come to someone as “the inquisition.”  As angry as I feel about how this has happened anywhere, I must carefully allow the Holy Spirit to ask me where I have been the interrogator of others.  Is there any way in which I have been the inquisition, or at least made anyone to feel that they were being interrogated instead of loved?  Would my family be a good place to begin asking this?

The second target of interrogation can be myself.  This can especially be true for anyone who was raised in a legalistic or even an unloving environment.  I may have the tendency to look at others and question them, but most of the time I am doing it of myself.  I can daily face the interrogation --- my own personal existence of living in front of the inquisition.  I can constantly wonder if I am “doing the right thing.”  It is interesting how this can make me even harsher toward others.  It is important that Paul is making this point about holiness here, following the important discussion about idolatry.  After sounding a real wake-up call about idolatry and urging the Corinthians to run from it and to Jesus, Paul now carefully makes the point that there need not be interrogation in this pursuit.  Holiness means freedom, not more interrogation or bondage.  How easily I could take his warning of idolatry and begin to live something of a fearful life, obsessed with trying NOT to be an idolater.  I can find myself trying to live a life pleasing to God, yet finding myself increasingly frustrated, defeated, or even ashamed at my failures.

This would seem to be the reason that Paul places verse 26 in the center of this thought, between the two statements about no interrogation in verses 25 and 27.  “For ‘the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.’”  By beginning with the word, “for,” Paul is communicating that this is an explanation of the previous statement.  It will also be the basis for understanding what is to come.  Verse 26 is actually a quote from the opening verse of Psalm 24.  I have a love for this Psalm because of David’s cry of the heart.  “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?  Or who may stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.”  Notice the emphasis on purity and holiness, even to the point of specifically mentioning idols, which Paul was addressing in this section of 1 Corinthians.  Perhaps this is at least part of the reason Paul referred to this Psalm.  But the focus of this Psalm, and the answer Paul wants to provide to the Corinthians, is in that first verse of the Psalm:  “THE LORD.”  This is where David begins this Psalm and he ends it on the same note.  “Who is this King of glory?  The Lord of hosts, He is the king of glory.”  In short, He is the answer to idolatry, and He is the source of holiness and purity.  The answer for the Corinthians was to make Jesus their absolute focus.  This is the answer to all legalism, both toward myself and others.  This is why Paul quotes Psalm 24:1 right in between the references to no interrogation in 1 Corinthians 10:25 and 27.  If we focus on trying to be free, we will remain in bondage.  If we focus on trying not to be idolaters, we will still become idolaters, even making our rules and standards into our god.  If we focus on Jesus Himself and respond to Him with all our hearts, we will find that He is the answer for all legalism and distraction in our lives.

Freedom

This focus on Jesus alone, and responding to Him, is what brings freedom.  The tone of freedom in verses 25-27 is unmistakable.  First, a key word in the Greek is emphasized in both verses 25 and 27:

“Eat WHATEVER is sold in the meat market . . . (v. 25).”

Eat WHATEVER is set before you . . . (v. 27).”

The word “whatever” is a translation of the Greek word that is often translated “all.”  It gives the sense of “no limits.”  It literally means, “whatever.”  The NASB translates it as “anything.”  I often joke with people when I am sharing about this Greek word, asking, “Do you know what the literal meaning is for the Greek word for ‘all’?”  I then answer, “It is ‘ALL!’”  It communicates that everything is included.  Paul also does something special to emphasize this word.  In Greek writing, things were emphasized by placing them first in the word order of the sentence.  In both of the verses, Paul places this word first in the phrase for the purpose of strong emphasis.  It could be literally translated, “WHATEVER is sold in the meat market, eat.”  “WHATEVER is set before you, eat.”  By emphasizing the whatever, Paul is saying that there is a complete freedom for the Corinthians in what they eat, whether it is sold in the meat market or served by someone who has invited you to dinner.  No limits!

A second element of freedom, which was mentioned earlier, is also repeated in each of the verses 25 and 27.  It is the phrase which is identically repeated in both verses:  “asking no questions for conscience’ sake.”  The Greek word translated “no” literally means, “not one.”  Paul is urging the Corinthians to be so free in this eating of the food that they need not even ask one single question in regard to conscience and how it affects their purity of heart and holiness.  They are to have complete freedom.

While it may not be as big an emphasis, a third interesting element of freedom does appear in verse 27.  When speaking of going and eating the food that is offered by someone who has invited you to dinner, Paul states:  “If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you DESIRE to go.”  I am not yet certain why he states it this way and what the entire intent of the statement is, yet it seems significant that Paul inserts the word “desire.”  He could just as easily have said something like, “If some of those who do not believe invite you to dinner, and you go . . . .”  The concept of the word “desire” fits with Paul’s theme of freedom.  It would match with the “theology” that he presents throughout the New Testament, that ministry is a response to Jesus and what He is doing in your life.  Ministry can never be a requirement.  We cannot set a list of rules or duties to follow, for ourselves or anyone else, and call it “ministry.”  The real ministry of the presence and gospel of Jesus Christ is solely the product of His moving in and through our lives.  That cannot be demanded, coerced, or required.  Is that not the point of what Paul is saying here about freedom?  Ministry is a response of the heart.

There is a joy and freedom that naturally comes in the life of one who is just responding to Jesus and being shaped by His Word:  when the limits are removed regarding things that don’t really matter; when we can be free from interrogation and scrutiny on these unimportant matters; when ministry can be a simple response of the heart.  Yet, even in writing this, I realize that we, as holiness people, can sometimes be nervous about speaking in these ways.  Freedom can make me worry, which is a symptom of my legalism.  I can worry that people will take this freedom as a kind of permission to do something wrong.  Yet, this kind of fear demonstrates the very thing that Paul is urging against in this entire chapter.  When I focus on anything but Jesus, I open the door to distraction, fear, and all idolatry, including legalism.  Paul’s invitation in this letter, and the call of the New Testament, is an absolute focus on the Person of Jesus Christ and a relationship of continual response to Him.  Of course, it is His Word that reveals His heart and mind to us.  I firmly believe that God has provided for us the boundaries within which He will keep us safe, pure, and in Him if we will listen and submit.  If any person will respond to Jesus with all of his or her heart, will completely submit to His Word, and will walk in open and accountable relationship alongside others doing the same, there need never be fear of that individual going astray.  God has grace for the pure and seeking heart.  We may not yet be perfect in all of the outward things, but He can perfect the heart.  In this passage, Paul is presenting the freedom that there is in so many things for the Christian who is responding to Jesus with all of his or her heart.  Some things --- which He speaks to us about and which are clearly revealed in the Word --- are absolute essentials, and we are urgent about those.  For all the rest, Paul says:  Be free!

Some commentators believe that Psalm 24, from which Paul quotes in verse 26, was sung on the occasion when David returned the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem --- up to Mt. Zion, the City of David --- in 2 Samuel 6.  It was a great day of victory for the ark, as the manifestation of God’s presence, to be returned to its rightful place among God’s people.  As they brought the ark up to Jerusalem (“Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?”), there was great shouting and celebration as they sang this song affirming the greatness of God and how He reigns over everything (“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness”).  Perhaps the one celebrating most on this occasion was King David himself.  2 Samuel 6:14-16  records that “…David danced before the Lord with all his might,” even to the point of, “leaping and whirling before the Lord.”  It was on this occasion that Michal, David’s wife, despised him and later ridiculed him to his face for what she thought of as an unseemly demonstration.  It was to this that David famously responded, “…It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel.  Therefore I will play music before the Lord.  And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight (2 Samuel 6:21-22).”  David was so completely focused on the Lord alone and responded to Him with such a pure heart, that it produced an absolute freedom and joy in his life.

This reminds me greatly of the joy of a child who is free to play within the safety of the boundaries provided.  When a child is not burdened or worried, and knows that he or she is safe within the boundaries, there is an exuberance that can be seen in their lives.  Is there any greater pleasure in life than seeing a joyful child who is free to run and play, being what God made him or her to be?  Being released from worry and fear frees that child to have fun.  It seems to me that we could use more of this in the church and in the Holiness Movement.  I have heard the stories of the old days, when people used to do all manner of “undignified” things out of joy and response to the Lord, including running the aisles, shouting, weeping, waving things, jumping pews, and even the most radical thing:  forgetting about the clock!  Those people were so focused on the Lord and responding to Him that they forgot about most everything else.  Did we feel the need to get “dignified” somewhere along the way?  What legalism has weighed us down?  What worries or responsibility have we carried instead of focusing on the Lord Jesus and just responding to Him with all our hearts?  He is still the answer, just as He was for the early church and the early days of the Holiness Movement.  He still has a freedom and joy for us.  Being a Christian can be fun again, and I, for one, am ready for that.

Witness

Surely it is this kind of freedom and joy --- even “fun” --- that will be what wins the world to Jesus, for it is who He truly is.  After all, being a witness to others is still something of the bottom line of what this entire section in Corinthians is about, going all the way back to chapter 8.  How do our lives, and how we live, affect others?  In chapter 8, the cry of Paul was regarding the spiritual influence of our lives on those who are weak in the faith.  We are all spiritual leaders one way or another!  He began this current passage, 1 Corinthians 10:23-33, with the emphasis on the foundation of holiness as love.  It is about seeking the well-being of others, and building them up with an eternal view of things.  As this passage goes on, we hear increasingly more about being conscious of others and seeking for their “profit,” that they may be saved.

What will cause others to desire to know this Jesus and be saved?  What will be a compelling witness to them?  It will surely NOT be either of two very different errors.  On the one hand, as was discussed earlier, legalism never wins anyone to Jesus.  In fact, it has only had the opposite effect of driving people away from the church and from a desire to know Him.  They see a joyless, harsh, and hopeless pursuit of trying to live up to something that can never be accomplished.  People walk away from legalism saying something like, “If that is what God is like, then I don’t want anything to do with Him.”  On the other hand, the “anything goes” approach of watered-down religion may win people to a temporary experience, but it does not really win them to Jesus, let alone really making them into disciples.  The temptation of this approach is to think that people can be drawn to Christianity by offering them a lower or lighter version of Christianity that demands little, saving the “real stuff” or commitment for later when they really get into it.  Yet, this “bait and switch” approach is foreign to the New Testament message of Christ crucified that invites us to know Him in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.  Trying to soften the message of the gospel by seeing how close we can get to being like the world leaves us as merely a powerless, religious version of the world.  It is one thing to be like the Apostle Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 8-10, being all things to all men in order that they may see Jesus.  That is holiness.  But when the world can see no difference in our lives from the way everyone else lives, what kind of witness is it?  While legalism leaves people saying, “I don’t want anything to do with that,” watered-down religion which permits anything and everything for the sake of being relevant only leaves people saying, “What difference does it make?”

The only answer, and the only real witness, is what Paul has been urging from the beginning of this letter.  Jesus is always the answer, and He does something supernatural in our lives when we will simply focus on Him, submit to His Word, and respond to Him with all of our hearts in complete freedom.  God always does some remarkable things in the lives of those who are willing to do this.  He produces His holiness and purity in their lives.  He sets them free and brings great joy.  It is through this purity, holiness, joy, and freedom that He truly wins the hearts of others around us.  Could there be anything more winsome and appealing than this?  It is not evangelism at the end of a spear or out of fear tactics.  It is not just an invitation to something shallow.  It is a living invitation to something so wonderful that you want to find out more.  It is an appeal for something that cannot be found anywhere else in this world.  It is a call to know Jesus as He really is.  Surely there are people all around us who need to see this, and for whom we earnestly pray that they may come to know Him.  While we know that every individual has free will and we cannot decide for others, could it be that He wants to show something through me that could make a difference?  Could His purity, joy, and freedom in me be a key to reaching someone?

Are we ready for this to happen in our lives as never before?  Do I need to give Him my heart, attention, and focus in a new way?  Is there something He is saying to me through His Word?  Will I allow Him to give me a new joy and freedom in responding to Him, even to the point of surrendering being “dignified”?  Whose life could be affected in a new way?

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION

1.       Are there any ways in which I tend to “interrogate” others or myself?

2.       In what areas does Jesus want to bring about a new freedom and joy in me?  Am I submitting to His Word as much as I know and responding to Him with all my heart?  How can I focus on Jesus more these days to know Him more and realize His freedom?

1.       Who might be “witnessed” to as a result of this purity, joy, and freedom in me?

The Fellowship of Holiness

1 Corinthians 10:28-29

Resolve

After sharing about the freedom of holiness in verses 25-27, Paul goes on in verse 28 to present what might be considered a “hypothetical” situation.  “What if this happens?”  It is possible that Paul was anticipating a question that the Corinthians themselves might have asked when reading this section.  In any case, Paul’s purpose in sharing this example is to re-emphasize the foundation of holiness, which is love for others.  This explains why there can be such a strong contrast in tone between what we hear in verses 25-27 and what we hear in verse 28.  Verses 25-27 speak of freedom and picture a care-free attitude when it comes to things that don’t matter and don’t affect others.  In contrast, verse 28 presents a dramatically more serious tone.  Instead of the “whatever” approach in earlier verses, verse 28 presents a strong command.  “But if anyone says to you, ‘This was offered to idols,’ DO NOT EAT IT for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake, for ‘the earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness.’”  This command language in verse 28 really does convey the seriousness of holiness and how our lives affect others.  For Paul, there is no “wiggle room” on the things that really matter when it comes to how our lives reflect Jesus Christ.  The phrase “do not eat” is in the present active imperative in Greek, meaning that it is a command to follow at all times, or something like, “Don’t do this under any circumstances!”  Paul communicates it with the utmost urgency and importance.  He has undoubtedly learned to be more casual about some things in life with the passing of time, but he cannot rest when it comes to this.  If this circumstance arises, “Don’t eat it!  I mean it!”  Paul had the same line of thinking that Oswald Chambers was sharing when he wrote, “The honor of Jesus Christ is at stake in my bodily life.”  That is serious business.

Perhaps this is why Paul again attaches the quote from Psalm 24:1, just as he did also in verse 26.  There are two great things that are emphasized in this Psalm.  One is the Sovereignty and Lordship of God.  He is indeed over all and He is the King of Glory!  The second great emphasis is on the purity of those who seek Him.  It is one of the most beautiful sections of scripture, and it certainly has its applications to what Paul is discussing in this part of 1 Corinthians.

“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?  Or who may stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.  He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.  This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face (Psalm 24:3-6).”

Perhaps Paul added a reference to this Psalm knowing that his readers would be familiar (from Paul’s previous visit when he taught them) with its emphasis on purity and seeking Him.  It seems that Paul wanted to express very fully the urgency of this kind of purity in the lives of all believers in Jesus Christ.

It would seem good and appropriate for us to be gripped by the same urgency in our day.  It is right that we realize joyous freedom as Christians in the many choices and areas of life that do not matter and which do not affect others.  St. Augustine is often credited as saying, “Love God and do whatever you please:  for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the One who is Beloved.”  It is also right that we have great urgency about the things that He cares about and how He wants to demonstrate Himself in our lives.  How great the need is in our day for people of all ages who will live pure and holy lives in the midst of an often impure world.  In a day when the lines are often blurred, even between the church and the world, it is crucial that the holiness of Jesus Christ be our distinguishing characteristic.  Who are the men who will lead their wives, children, and grandchildren with clean hands and pure hearts?  Who are the women who will have clean hands and pure hearts in all they say and do?  Who are the teenagers and children who will not be ashamed to be known as the ones with clean hands and pure hearts?  Who will stand up and be the church in our day, able to stand open and accountable before God and anyone who asks, having clean hands and pure hearts in ALL things?   No wonder Paul used such an urgent tone in verse 28.  This is of the utmost seriousness.  What will we be serious about?  The honor of Jesus Christ is at stake in our bodily lives.

Motive

The seriousness of this charge to be so concerned about the way we live makes sense in light of the motive Paul presents in verse 28 and the first part of 29.  Paul makes it clear beyond any doubt that a care for others is the purpose behind his direction in this “hypothetical” example.  He noticeably points out in verse 28 that his admonition not to eat in this circumstance is “for the sake of the one who told you and for conscience’ sake.”  He goes on in the first part of verse 29 to clarify:  “’Conscience,’ I say, not your own, but that of the other.”  It is obvious that the motive and purpose behind Paul’s approach is a love for “the other.”  This is the real point of inserting this example into this discussion.  It is yet another opportunity to re-emphasize the foundation of holiness, which is love.  This is the big theme of this entire section of 1 Corinthians, beginning at chapter 8 and continuing even into chapter 13 and beyond.  One of the real problems of the idol feasts in which the Corinthians were participating was that they were not being considerate of how it affected others, especially those Paul calls “the weak.”  Instead of being spiritual leaders with clean hands and pure hearts, the Corinthians were being careless about how they were living.  Instead of first being concerned about how their lives were impacting these “weak” ones, the Corinthians were occupied with living for themselves.  Paul portrays just the opposite at the end of chapter 8 and throughout chapter 9 when he speaks of making himself a servant to all that he might win the more, and becoming all things to all men that they may be saved.  He has returned to that concept again (and again) here in this section of chapter 10 as he shares about the lifestyle of holiness.  Its absolute foundation is love, as he shared back in 10:24.  “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well being.”  It makes sense that this is such a consistent message --- because it is just the nature of who God is.  The nature of Jesus Christ is always holiness, which is love, and it is that nature that will expand in our lives as we respond to His Spirit within us.

This raises an extremely important point about holiness in the life of a Christian.  The purpose of Jesus placing His nature in us is not only or even primarily for our own benefit.  There can be no doubt that there is a great benefit to any individual who responds completely to Jesus and, as a result, experiences His holiness in his or her life.  Just as all things work better when following “manufacturer’s suggested guidelines,” it is true that people experience more abundant life when they are living in Christ.  “…All things were created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).”  Yet, it is crucial to realize that His holiness in us is not just for us.  Paul especially makes the point throughout these chapters of 1 Corinthians that Christianity is not merely an individual pursuit in which we are running on our own and for ourselves.  One of the most life-changing pictures of this was presented in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, where Paul uses athletic imagery to speak of this pursuit.  He said in 1 Corinthians 9:24:  “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”  The key to this verse is Paul’s use of the second person plural in the second half of the verse.  It reveals a contrast between the way of the world and the way of the kingdom.  The first half of the verse describes the way of the world, where everyone runs for himself, and only one wins the prize.  It is a competition with one another, and I am out to make sure that I make it!  The second half of the verse describes the way of the kingdom, and it only make sense in light of the use of second person plural (plural “you” instead of singular “you”).  Literally translated, the second half of the verse would read “You all run in such a way that you all may obtain it.”  The contrast of the two scenes is striking.  In the world I am running on my own, looking out for myself, and trying to make sure that I get to the finish line.  In the kingdom of God, we are running together.  Of course, each individual must respond to Jesus.  I cannot respond for others (as much as I wish I could) and no one else can respond for me.  Yet, what Paul presents here is a beautiful picture of the body of Christ.  Instead of looking out for ourselves and running on our own, we are looking out for each other and running the race alongside of one another in a pack.  The goal is not that I get to the finish line.  The goal is that WE get to the finish line together.  What a comfort this is, and what a difference it has made in my life!  This is the point that Paul is repeating throughout these chapters of 1 Corinthians, and that he is emphasizing again here with the “hypothetical example” of eating a meal with someone.  The concern is always for the conscience of the other, because this race is not about me.  We are running the race together, and it is vitally important that we all get to the finish line together.

This really gives a different view to holiness from what I may have previously understood.  In some ways, I believe I may have viewed holiness as more of an “individual sport.”  I am very concerned about how I live.  I want to respond to Jesus in all things.  I desperately desire to be pleasing to God.  All of this is from a pure heart.  Yet, it is evident that I can easily slip into a focus of “individual pursuit.”  I can easily be consumed with what is happening in my life and the concern for my own holiness.  To be quite honest, it is possible for me to get downright obsessed with doing things right and being sure that I am right with God.  Again, it is from a pure heart, but it is a wrong focus.  If holiness is about ourselves, the evidence of that wrong focus is going to show up in our lives.  It will most likely manifest itself in a very tense and uptight attitude of one who is nervous and worried about whether or not he or she is living the holy life.  Such a focus tends to make us forget about everyone else in light of the urgency of “doing it right.”  In truth, such an individual pursuit of holiness tends to make the life of that individual something not very appealing at all.

Paul seems to be pressing for a holiness that is a “team sport,” for lack of a better term.  It is not about “my” holiness or just what Jesus wants to do in my life.  It is about how He wants to be present in and demonstrate His nature through us together.  What He desires to do in my life is for the purpose of how it will affect everyone around me.  The goal is not to make me a trophy.  The goal is that others may be touched.  That is the point of this section.  I am not altogether sure yet how that works.  However, I know what it looks like, for the pages of the New Testament describe it, and it is demonstrated in the nature of the Trinity itself --- the three Persons of God “running together,” if it is acceptable to speak of God in that way.  How does God want to produce that same thing among us?  Can Jesus so work in me that it just draws others right into that?  Isn’t there a gravity about the Spirit of Jesus when He is present and at work?  That’s what makes matters so urgent and it is why Paul gives this example.  But if anyone says to you, ‘This was offered to idols,’ DO NOT EAT IT for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake, for ‘the earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness.’  ‘Conscience,’ I say, not your own, but that of the other.”  The seriousness and urgency of Paul’s instruction here is not so that we can “do it right” and be holy for our own sakes.  The desperate concern is for the other.  What does Jesus want to do in their lives?  It is not about me; it is about them.  It is not about me getting it right; it is about them getting Him.  It is one thing for me to be urgent about my own spiritual life, which does not produce a thing in the lives of others.  It is quite another thing to volunteer my life so that He can draw others to Himself.  It is not about running for myself; it is about running together.  What is most urgent in my heart:  that I am right before God, or that He might be touching and drawing those around me to Himself?  Am I running the race alone, or am I running alongside of others?

Sensitivity

The natural question that comes for me in response to this is, “How do I do that?”  “How do I run alongside of others and let Jesus touch their lives through me?”  Paul’s description of the “hypothetical situation” in verse 28 really provides some insight for the “how.”  The wording in that verse provides a fascinating picture.  “But if anyone says to you, ‘This was offered to idols,’ DO NOT EAT IT for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake.”  The key word in this portrait is the verb “told” toward the end of the sentence.  It is a very rare verb in the New Testament which most literally means “to inform.”  This means far more than just simply communicating something.  A Greek dictionary defines the meaning as “to disclose what is secret, reveal, betray, make known, declare.”  The connotation is of sharing something that is sensitive, to say the least.  It is something that is done behind closed doors, or quietly, at least.  This is the verb that Paul uses in this example to portray how someone might share with you about the food being offered to idols.  It is not a picture of someone loudly blurting out something for everyone to hear.  It is more of a picture of a discreet sharing.  It is like someone leaning over to you and quietly whispering, “This was offered to idols.”  That picture of discreetness or quiet sharing is confirmed by the use of another word in the statement, “This was offered to idols.”  The Greek word used in this phrase actually refers more to something that was sacrificed in the temple.  This is different from another Greek word referring specifically to the sacrifice of idols, which is used at other places in this passage of scripture.  Paul chooses this different word (more having to do with temple sacrifice) when describing what someone might discreetly share with you at a meal.  The term for “temple sacrifice” would have been less offensive to a possibly pagan host than the term “idol sacrifice.”  Paul is using this term to further emphasize the idea of someone trying to share with you in a very, very discreet, quiet, non-threatening, and non-offensive way, “This was sacrificed at the temple.”  It is the idea of someone trying to tell you something of concern, but he or she is being subtle about it.

This points to what is, perhaps, the most important point of this example.  If we are going to run alongside of people, and if Jesus is going to touch their lives through us, we must be sensitive to their lives, to what God is speaking to them, and to what He is speaking to us through them.  In essence, along with the urgency to care about others, Paul is telling the Corinthians that they need to pay attention!  This may explain why Paul uses the subjunctive mood of Greek when presenting this situation as a “hypothetical example.”  By using this form of Greek, Paul is stressing the “if” of this circumstance.  This is simply a possibility of what MAY happen to you sometime.  Since it may happen, Paul is preparing them for that possibility.  What he is trying to emphasize is a posture of readiness.  It is their attitude and the posture of their hearts that matters most.  For, it is our attitude and what is in our hearts that is going to come out in our actions and responses.  That is why Paul stresses throughout this letter that Jesus is the answer and that He desires to live through us.  We must live in a posture of responding to Him and readiness for whatever He desires in every situation, sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.

This is so crucial because it is impossible to know ahead of time what we should do in each and every situation.  This example that Paul gives points to the heart more than attempting to give a rule or guideline of exactly what to do in a given situation.  We will constantly find ourselves in situations in life that we have not encountered before.  At times, we may be blessed to have someone who has “been there” or who has wisdom in the situation.  Yet, there may be times when we don’t have that, or when no one can provide any wisdom, or when things come upon us so immediately that we must respond sooner than later.  It is impossible to provide to any Christian a complete “how to” manual for what to do in every situation that he or she will face as a Christian.  Trying to formulate “lists” and following them like instructions will only end up frustrating.  Trying to follow God’s Word in this way will end up frustrating as well.  There may be things I encounter in my life that I cannot find discussed in the Word.  And when I try to do everything that the Bible says, I find myself coming up short.  Therefore, God must have provided His Word with a different purpose in mind, and it is when I miss this purpose that I become discouraged.

In fact, the purpose of the Word is to reveal Jesus.  Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians is that being a Christian is about a personal relationship with Jesus, in which He comes to live within us (1 Cor. 6:19) and demonstrate Himself through us.  As in any relationship, my intimacy with Jesus will deepen and grow as I stay sensitive and responsive to Him.  In fact, what if I don’t need to worry about responding to my circumstance in the right way?  A person can become consumed with trying to understand the situation and trying to figure out the right way to respond to it.  We have something so far greater.  We have inside of us the One through whom all things were created.  He is Lord of all things, and He is holding all things together (Colossians 1:16-17).  He absolutely knows what is best for every situation and moment.  The freedom of being a Christian is that I can just pay attention to, be sensitive to, and respond to the Spirit of Jesus living in me.  In truth, I don’t need to respond to my situations anymore.  I can let Jesus respond to my situation, and I am just going with Him.  This is what allows me to be ready and able to respond in any situation instead of having to try to follow a script.  If I will stay sensitive to Him, I will always have just what I need just when I need it.

The amazing dynamic of this is that sensitivity to the Spirit of Jesus produces His sensitivity to others in me.  How often have I not been in tune with those around me or been sensitive to what they were trying to say to me?  Perhaps there have been times when I was just not paying attention at all, when this should have been my first priority!  We have a variety of communication styles in our family, and it continues to be a learning process to listen to each person.  My wife, my daughter, and my son each have different styles of sharing things with me.  How crucial it is that I am paying attention and hearing them, sometimes even when it is something so subtle that I could easily miss it!  How can I possibly live up to such a responsibility with them, not to mention with the other people in my life?  Only by staying sensitive to Jesus and being in a posture of readiness to respond.  He cares about each person in my life, and He knows exactly what is needed for each one.  Will I stay absolutely engaged with Him at all times, and will I allow that to make me sensitive and engaged in the lives of those around me?  Most every time I preach, I give an opportunity for people to respond to the truth of the Word and what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.  I wonder what an appropriate response to this would look like.  I often tell people to “please find a way to respond to Jesus.”  I can imagine myself kneeling or raising my hands to Him in absolute desire and desperation to be sensitive and totally responsive to Him in my life moment-by-moment.  I want Him to respond through me to the situations of my life!  Yet, I wonder how He might desire to respond through us to this truth at this very moment.  I can picture husbands looking their wives in the eyes and asking if there is anything they have been missing.  I can picture dads looking their children in the eyes and asking if there is anything they have been missing.  Who would take the courageous step of opening himself or herself up to the truth, for the sake of our precious loved ones being drawn to Jesus?  No wonder Paul was so urgent about this.  It is all that matters.  Who am I taking with me?  Are we running the race together?

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION

1.       What are the things in life that I am really resolved about?  What matters to me most?  How would my family answer that for me?

2.       Has my focus been mostly on running the race myself, or on running together with others?

3.       What level has my sensitivity to Jesus been?  How sensitive have I been to those closest to me?  Is there anything I now realize that I have been missing, or is there something He is clearly pointing out today?

The Face of Holiness

1 Corinthians 10:29-31

There could be a natural question that arises in the heart and mind of anyone who really understands the point Paul has been making regarding the fellowship of holiness.  If it is all about being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and what He is doing in the lives of others, we may end up asking something like, “How far do I take that?”  To be blunt, we may want to ask if we will have any freedom left in our lives at all or if we will be limited in just about everything because of our care for others.  At least these are the kinds of questions that Paul anticipated might be asked by the Corinthians.  Anticipating these thoughts, Paul answers them in a unique way in verses 29b through 31.  He utilizes a form of speech, called a diatribe, that he has used earlier in this same letter.  This diatribe almost portrays a conversation between two people and is a witty way of expressing what might the other party “might say” if they were actually present.  At the very least, Paul presents in verses 29b-30 what could possibly be the response to all of this from a self-centered view.  “For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?  But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?”  He then goes on in verse 31 (diatribe --- the “other side” of the conversation) to answer the self-centered response with a strong statement of the attitude of holiness.  “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

The most important concept to understand in these verses is that Paul is really addressing the heart, attitude, or disposition.  While the Corinthians might have liked for Paul to have sent them a “list” of things to “do,” or a manual to dictate to them the proper procedure for particular situations, Paul almost refuses to do so.  In verses 29b-31 especially, Paul goes right to the heart.  This reminds us of a crucial principle of holiness and the Christian life.  Christianity is not simply about what we do or don’t do.  It is not about following lists.  Holiness is not merely conformity to a lifestyle.  It is something that takes place from the inside out.  Jesus spoke of this consistently as He said things like Matthew 12:34-35:  “…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”  This is the concept Paul is pointing to here again.  The heart is the spring out of which we live and which determines our words and actions.  He presents these two contrasting attitudes so that the Corinthians may recognize their own character and embrace what Jesus wants to be and do through them.  As Paul portrays this contrast, may we also recognize the truth, embrace Jesus, and be open to all He desires to be in us.

The portrayal of self-centeredness

In verses 29b and 30, Paul portrays what might be a self-centered attitude or response to refraining from eating for the sake of another’s conscience.  We remember that he has just finished giving an example (verses 28-29a) of what it would look like to be so sensitive to the Holy Spirit that we are listening to and engaged with those around us, running alongside of them and letting our lives draw them to Jesus.  Some have thought that Paul is actually expressing his own thoughts in verses 29b-30, and that he may be responding to some people who have questioned his right to do certain things.  It is difficult to believe, however, that Paul is taking this opportunity to defend himself in the midst of this passage.  First, it does not seem to fit into the flow of the passage.  It would seem out of character to Paul to almost pause what he is saying so that he can take a timeout in order to argue for his rights.  Secondly, we have already seen in places like 1 Corinthians 9:15 that Paul is not really into claiming his rights.  In fact, after listing all of his privileges as an apostle in the first fourteen verses of chapter 9, he then goes on to say in verse 15:  “But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me….”  Therefore, what Paul is saying in 10:29b-30 would not seem at all to be his own words or thoughts.  As discussed earlier, he is using the diatribe style of speaking/writing to portray what might be the thoughts of someone responding to the situation at hand from a self-centered attitude.

Paul presents one question in verse 29b and one question in verse 30, each of which expresses a fundamental of the self-centered disposition.  Paul seems to continue to point to these fundamentals throughout this letter.  The question in verse 29b is:  “For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?”  Three aspects of the grammar in this question bring out the emphasis of the meaning.  The first is in what seems to be the simple word, “why.”  Paul uses a Greek word, here translated as “why,” which is not often used in the New Testament.  “For what?” would be a very literal translation of this Greek word.  When we look at the few other places it is used in the Bible, we find that it tends to be used in a context where there is some form of contention.  It seems to communicate an atmosphere where there is emotion in the question.  We can almost hear someone engaged in a conversation where there is some emotion and he or she is asking, “For what?”  This is our first clue that there could be at least a hint of contention in the question of verse 29b.  Expressing emotion and even being confrontational was certainly not beyond Paul, but he seemed to normally save that for matters that involved Jesus and others, not himself.

The second aspect of grammar which brings out emphasis in verse 29b is a definite stress on the words, “my freedom.”  While we may have different means of highlighting certain things in our writing in our day, things in the Greek were emphasized by word order.  When something is placed nearer to the beginning of the sentence, it is like it is being underlined or bolded.  We can almost hear someone, possibly with a heightened sense of emotion, asking the question, “For what is MY FREEDOM judged by another man’s conscience?”  The third grammar aspect is what seems to be the simple preposition “by.”  This is a translation of the Greek preposition upo.  What is interesting about upo is that its most common translation is “under.”  This brings a whole new perspective of the emphasis of this question being asked in verse 29b.  Let’s insert that different translation, along with the other emphasis already noted and see what it sounds like:  “For what is MY FREEDOM judged under another man’s conscience?  This seems to give a sense that it is really an issue and question of position.  The hypothetical person is asking, in essence, “Why is that other person’s concern being put above mine?”  “Why do I have to be underneath them?”  This would seem to reflect a real concern or passion about position.  I want to make sure that I have what is coming to me.  I don’t want someone else to have what I should have.  I like being higher or more important than others.  It is kind of like our dog that wants to be up on our bed and resists being in her “place” on the floor.  The thought in her dog mind is, “Hey, I belong up there!”  Have you ever noticed how the biggest and newest houses tend to be built further and further up the hill?  Could it be a statement saying something like, “Hey, look at me up here.”

I would like to think that I don’t do that in my life.  I would like to think that I am not concerned about position and being above anyone, or having my “place.”  Yet, how often do I look at others and hope for something else instead of being thankful for exactly where God has placed me?  How often am I dissatisfied with where I am and what God is doing in my life at this moment?  How often have I felt either prideful for some attainment or ashamed at my lack of achievement or position?  Have I ever muttered something when another driver cut me off in traffic or infringed on what I thought was my right of way?  Could it be that any of these feelings are, at the very least, leftover patterns of focus on self?  The wise words of Watchman Nee come to mind:  “Men ought to learn how to follow, how to forever occupy a minor role.”

While the question of verse 29b portrays a concern for position, the question of verse 30 portrays another common fundamental of self-centeredness.  “But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?”  One very interesting feature of this question is the Greek verb which is here translated as “evil spoken of.”  The Greek word is most always translated as the English word, “blaspheme.”  That is quite a serious word.  It has the basic idea of speaking slanderous, disrespectful, or even profane words of someone or something.  While it is used on occasion in regard to speaking of people, the vast majority of the time it is used is in reference to someone speaking of God in a slanderous way.  This is the way we would most often think of this word, and it is probably what first comes to mind when we hear it.  If we would hear that someone “blasphemed,” our first question might be something like, “What did they say about God?”  It is quite a severe thing.

It catches our attention when this word is used in regard to speaking of a person, especially when the person is referring to himself, as in this statement in verse 30.  “Why am I evil spoken of [blasphemed] for the food over which I give thanks?”  Blasphemy is a pretty serious charge to make even if the “evil” was spoken against another person and not against God.  It seems especially serious to make the charge that someone has “blasphemed” me.  There could almost seem to be something dramatic about it.  Have I ever been dramatic or animated when I was defending myself?  Let me count the times!  That seems to be the essence of what Paul is portraying through the question of verse 30, and it is a fundamental of self-centeredness:  defensiveness or being protective of myself.

It is not difficult at all to recognize this attitude in my daily life.  I can get sensitive and defensive about anything.  “What did they mean when they said that?”  “What are people saying or thinking about me?”  “I’m fine just the way I am.”  The basic impulse of this attitude is the belief that there is something I need to guard or protect.  It can come up so quickly that I may not even realize it until Jesus sheds light on it.  When was the last time it rose up in me?  When was I offended or felt defensive about something?  Could it be that this reveals, at the very least, some leftover patterns of self-centeredness?  This is the attitude that Paul portrays through the questions of verses 29b-30.

Windows of heaven

No wonder that Paul goes very directly and purposefully into verse 31 following verses 29b-30.  After portraying the attitude of self-centeredness, Paul must go immediately to a portrayal of what holiness looks like --- a life lived in response to Jesus.  Verse 31 begins with the word, “therefore.”  Jesus is our deliverance from the self-centeredness which has been portrayed.  We don’t have to stay where we are and continue living in the same patterns of being defensive and concerned for position.  It is a beautiful thing that Paul goes right into verse 31 and gives us a different picture.  It is a reminder that holiness is not really a negative, but it is a positive!  It is not just about dying to ourselves, but it is about living in Him and He in us!

The meaning of verse 31 seems fairly plain.  “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  It really covers all the bases, and leaves no room for exception.  It says that our entire lives (“all”) are to be to the glory of God.  As we sometimes joke when sharing with people, the Greek word for “all” literally means “all” in English.  It is even placed in a position of emphasis in the verse, so it is like Paul is underlining it or coloring it with a highlighter pen.  “All!”  The is one of those powerful verses in the New Testament that could almost seem to stand on its own and convey what the Christian life is to be all about.  There are some important things, however, which help us to really understand what it means.  Several elements help us to understand that what is presented in verse 31 is more of a “being” than a “doing.”  It is something that springs from within rather than something we muster ourselves to accomplish.  First of all, it is crucial to understand in the context that verse 31 presents the contrasting attitude, heart, and disposition to what was portrayed in verses 29b-30.  Paul is really just presenting two contrasting dispositions, and inviting the Corinthians to allow their lives to be for the glory of God instead of living for themselves.  He does not speak about a disposition of the heart in verses 29b-30 and then suddenly change over to telling the Corinthians what they must do.  He is still talking about the heart --- but now just a completely different state of heart, which is all about living for the glory of God.  The truth of verse 31 as more of a “being” than a “doing” is further communicated by a word Paul chooses to use in the sentence.  The word “do” is an English translation of the Greek verb poieo.  This verb presents an amazing image of an artist from the ancient Greek culture.  The artist does not merely “do” his activity.  In a manner of speaking, he or she is the activity.  The art is not something which the artist musters and produces.  It is something that springs from within.  When you look at the work of an artist, you are getting a look at what he or she is inside.  This is the concept that is communicated by the word poieo, which is translated as “do.”  Therefore, this way of living “to the glory of God” is not something one does like a task or assignment.  It is something that comes from deep within, as the work of an artist.  We do not merely “do” all to the glory of God.  We are to the glory of God, which then shows up in all of the words and activities of our lives.

This makes sense when we really consider God’s glory.  What could I ever say or do that could possibly add or contribute to the vastness of His glory?  It seems that my mind is really too small to grasp His glory.  How could I do really do anything to His glory?  Perhaps it is not that I am doing anything to His glory, but that His glory can be demonstrated in my life because He is in me!  This is the central point of the entire letter --- that Jesus desires to live in me and demonstrate Himself through me by His Spirit.  This central theme is stated in 1 Corinthians 6:19:  “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”  Paul seems to express this concept further in 2 Corinthians, speaking of the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ and the glory of God in us.  “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18).”  He goes on to say a few verses later, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).”  The focus in this entire passage in 2 Corinthians 3 and 4 is about the indwelling presence of Jesus and how He desires to demonstrate Himself --- which is His glory --- through our lives.  This is the point Paul is making all throughout 1 Corinthians as well, and so it follows that he would be emphasizing the same thing again in 1 Corinthians 10:31.  It is a way of “being” that is in contrast to the self-centeredness that was portrayed in verses 29b-30.

A simple picture came to me which has helped to make this concept easier for me to understand.  God’s glory is who He is.  It is His very presence.  It is that very presence that has come to live in us in this world.  It reminds us of what John wrote about the Incarnation of Jesus when He came into this world.  “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His GLORY, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).”  Just as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4, the glory of God was seen in the face of Jesus Christ in this world.  Something that is unimaginable and even impossible for us to look at came close to us and was displayed in the life of the Son of God, in actual human living, in our world, right where we live.  This is what God wants to do even further through us.  We are not Jesus.  But He has loved us and chosen that we should be the way for that same glory --- His very presence --- to be displayed in our world at this time.  How else will the world ever see the glory of God --- who He really is?  They cannot see what heaven looks like and what His presence is really like.  But as Jesus comes to live in us and as we respond to Him with all of our hearts, God can reveal Himself through our faces as He is transforming us into the image of Jesus Christ.  His glory is seen in our lives.  We can be the face of Jesus Christ in our world.  Our lives can be like “windows” through which people catch a glimpse of heaven.  I can think of nothing more that our world needs in these days.  Think of the opportunity to be the window of heaven --- the face through which God’s glory shines --- everywhere we go in our world.  To my family . . . a window of heaven.  To people at work and school . . . a window of heaven.  To every person I ever come across in public . . . a window of heaven.  Is the light of the glory of His presence shining through my life, or is the shade pulled down?  Holiness is so much more than just doing certain things and avoiding others.  It is being the face of Jesus Christ --- a window of heaven --- where I live at every moment.  ALL to the glory of God.

The opportunity for glory

There is one more key to understanding how this glory works and how the presence of Jesus is manifested in our lives.  It is the cross.  It is interesting that whenever the concept of “glorifying” is mentioned in the Gospel of John, it seems to always point to the cross.  Before going to the cross, Jesus prays:  “…Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You (John 17:1).”  There seems to be an inseparable tie between God’s glory and the cross.  This matches with what Paul goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 4 following the verses that were quoted earlier.  He explains in verse 7 that we have this treasure --- the glory of God --- in earthen vessels, and goes on in verses 8-9 to speak of us being hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down.  “Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.  For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So then death is working in us, but life in you (2 Cor. 4:10-12).”  This crucial concept Paul is presenting in 2 Corinthians 4 expresses what Jesus was praying and understood in John 17.  It is that the glory of God is going to be manifested through the cross, and the cross is going to be experienced in our lives through things like being hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down.  It is through those moments and experiences that we see the treasure in the earthen vessels, “…that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us (2 Cor. 4:7).”

Could this be the very thing Paul is pointing to in 1 Corinthians 10:29b-31?  He portrayed the disposition of self-centeredness through two questions that demonstrated a concern for position and defensiveness.  He goes on to speak of doing (being) all to the glory of God.  What if the situations alluded to in the questions are the opportunities for God’s glory to be revealed?  In other words, the situation that causes me to be concerned for position IS the opportunity for God’s glory.  The situation that causes me to be defensive IS the opportunity for God’s glory.  How this could completely transform my attitude and approach to life!  Situations come to my life all the time that can tend to make me feel small, unimportant, or longing to be something other than I am or to have something that I don’t have.  Instead of dwelling on these things, these moments could be the opportunity to run to Jesus and allow Him to demonstrate His glory in my life.  Hard pressed?  Perplexed?  Persecuted?  Struck down?  Perhaps.  Yet, in the midst of that, I get to be a window for people to see who Jesus is and what heaven is like.  The same can be true of every single circumstance when I feel the need to be defensive about anything.  Those moments can be reminders of the opportunity for God’s glory.  Instead of focusing on what I am going to say or how I am going to defend myself, I can just seek the face of Jesus and pray that others may see Him through my face.  Hard pressed?  Perplexed?  Persecuted?  Struck down?  But the opportunity for God’s glory!  A window of heaven here in this world.

What is happening inside me these days?  What is the disposition of my heart?  Seeking position, defensive, or willing to be the earthen vessel through which Jesus Christ can show His glory?  Am I a window through which people can see Him, or is the shade pulled?  I surely don’t know how to live for His glory.  But will I abandon myself to Him so that He can bring it about in me until His glory is just “being” through me?

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION

1.       Has there been any sense in my life lately that I am concerned for position or discontent with my circumstances?  How could this be an opportunity for God’s glory?

2.       Has there been anything in my life lately about which I have been defensive?  How could this be an opportunity for God’s glory?

3.       Who has been a “window” of God’s glory in my life, through whom I have seen and experienced Jesus?  Will I abandon myself for Him to be this through me?  What would be the biggest surrender for me today?

The Fragrance of Holiness

1 Corinthians 10:32-33

Decreasing offense

Part of the power of God’s Word is the consistency of the message.  That consistency is demonstrated throughout the letter of 1 Corinthians, where Paul will not be distracted by pursuing quick or “pat” answers on outward matters.  Instead, he continues to point the Corinthians to the issues of the heart, which then determine and shape our outward behavior.  In 1 Corinthians 10:24, Paul has made it clear that love is the foundation of holiness:  “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well being.”  In verses 29-31 he portrayed the two contrasting dispositions of living for self versus “being” all for the glory of God.  In concluding these thoughts, Paul gives further description of what holiness --- the very nature of Jesus --- produces in the life of a person.  What quality of life is produced in one who is responding to Jesus and allowing Him to demonstrate His holiness through the life of that individual?  It is far more than just something that individual does.  It is becoming the quality of what he or she is.

A strong sense of this comes right away in verse 32 in the phrase, “Give no offense.”  Two elements here let us know that Paul is not simply telling the Corinthians what to do or not to do.  First of all, as already mentioned, he had just finished speaking of internal disposition in verses 29-31.  In fact, it is this internal disposition of love which is the theme of this entire section.  It does not make sense that Paul would take a “time-out” from talking about heart disposition in order to diverge from that and speak about “doing.”  It would be like him saying something like, “I know I have been talking to you about the heart and how the disposition of our hearts is what shapes our behavior, but let me leave that for a moment and just give you some tips on behavior.”  There can be no doubt that the quality of life in verses 32-33 is the product of the disposition described in verse 24 and then again in verse 31.  A second element indicating that this is a matter of “being” is the presence of the Greek word ginomai in the phrase, “Give no offense,” even though it is not reflected in our English translation.  The Greek word ginomai is most commonly translated “become.”  This occurrence of it is in the present tense imperative, which is like a command or urging to “be becoming.”  If we were to translate very literally the Greek phrase at the beginning of 32, it would be something like, “Be becoming not an offense.”  It is an urging for the Corinthians to “be becoming” less offensive.  It is another reminder that holiness is always about growth and what we are becoming.  There is no fear in responding to Jesus and allowing Him to continue to work in us.  New light and growth in my life is not a sign that I am not sanctified.  It evidence that I am continuing to be sanctified!

The wording of this phrase in Greek, “Be becoming not an offense,” raises some other important thoughts.  It is no accident that Paul uses a Greek word for “offense” that is strongly connected to the word he uses back in chapter 8 for “stumbling block” (8:9).  In chapter 8, Paul was imploring the Corinthians to not do or be anything that would be a “stumbling block to those who are weak.”  He was there speaking of those who are weak in the faith --- perhaps new Christians or those who are not yet Christians.  It was the crucial reminder that we are all spiritual leaders to people around us.  People are watching our lives and being drawn to Jesus or repelled based on what they experience with us.  It is that same concept of not being a “stumbling block” or “offense” that Paul was using again here in chapter 10, verse 32.  Yet, now Paul says, “Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God.”  This expands our sphere and view of being a spiritual leader.  It is important that we be constantly considerate of those who are weak, but also vital that we “be becoming not an offense” to the Jews, Greeks, and the church of God.  Essentially, that means everyone!

Another important realization of this phrase, “be becoming not an offense,” is the suggestion that I probably am an offense to someone.  Paul’s urging (imperative mood) here is something like, “Since you probably are an offense to someone . . . become less so.”  I don’t like to think about it, but it probably is true.  I have probably hurt or been offensive to some member of my family in the not-too-distant past, maybe even today.  Is there anything for which I need to apologize and ask forgiveness?  It is likely that I have been a stumbling block in some way to someone at work, school, or even church, or at least caused hurt, even if it was not my intent.  It causes me to ask how many times I offend people out in public with or without realizing it.  The way I sometimes drive my car comes to mind, or even how I have jockeyed for position in line at the store.  Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians is to become less of that.  Would they allow Jesus to work in their lives to make them decreasingly offensive?  Would I allow Jesus to increasingly make His heart and disposition the quality of my life so that people are more and more experiencing Him?  Would I let Him bring to death any pride which keeps me from confessing that I might actually be an offense?

Make their day

How do I become less offensive?  In verse 33 Paul once again presents his own life as a testimony (as he did in chapter 9) of how Jesus does this in us and what it looks like.  He writes, “Just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”  The main verb in this verse, and therefore the main idea, is “please.”  Note again that Paul’s desire is to please ALL men in ALL things.  It is not a selective or exclusive thing.  Jesus produces a love in the heart of an individual that causes him or her to care deeply for all people.  It is a heart that loves the person while not approving of the sin.  It is Jesus’ welcome through us to all people, inviting them to know Him, to be transformed, and to grow in Him.  Paul spoke very strongly of this in chapter 9, where he said in verse 22, “…I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”  It is this same heart that is now being expressed in 10:33 again, with the focus being on pleasing all men in all things.  The word “please” has the idea of making things good or pleasant.  Paul has this desire to be good or pleasant to all people in all things.

We certainly know how to do this, and we are used to doing it in our lives in some ways.  It does raise a contrast, however, which is a strong undercurrent of this entire letter of 1 Corinthians.  It is the contrast between idolatry and love.  Let’s look first at the basics of idolatry when it comes to how I treat people.  An approach of idolatry certainly does look to “please” some people.  However, the idolatry approach looks for the people who can do something for me or have something to offer me.  I want to please those people because I want them to give me something.  I am not very interested in those who don’t have anything I want or need.  However, when I spot someone that has something I want or need, I make great effort to please that person.  It is the “sales” approach.  I know how to turn on the charm or to really try to “win” those people over so that they can benefit me.  My question is always, “Who here can help me?”  This is exactly what Paul is talking about when he says in verse 33, “not seeking my own profit.”  Idolatry is always looking out for my own profit.  “What is good for me?”  The value of other people is determined by how they can help my bottom line.  If they can benefit me, they are valuable, and I want to please them.  If they can’t do anything for me, they are not of any value, and I have little care about what happens to them.  In this way, we can see that the principle of idolatry is always about taking.  It is a one-way flow in MY direction!  People are only instruments to be used, and they are quickly put away or discarded when they are no longer of use.  Perhaps we have been on the other end of this and have been the ones who have been used.  It is painful and costly for the one who is used and only valued in light of someone else’s benefit.  I wish I could say that I have never done this to anyone.  It is humbling to be in the light of truth and realize where I have been an idolater.  Where have I looked at people for how they could help me?  Where have I gone into “sales” mode and been a pleaser of someone because of what I thought he or she could do for me?

On the other hand, love is quite a different matter, which is the approach Paul is presenting here in 1 Corinthians.  Love indeed is interested in pleasing “all men in all things.”  Yet, love has no regard for what people can do for me.  1 Corinthians chapter 13 is a beautiful description of this love that only Jesus can produce in us.  The Bible seems to present that this love is for everyone, but that it is especially for those who cannot do anything for us.  Consider what a contrast this is to idolatry.  While idolatry goes out of the way to charm someone who has something to offer me, Jesus goes out of His way to bless someone that has nothing to offer.  How differently this causes us to view all the people around us that would seem of little value to me.  I would normally pass them by, treat them rudely, discard them, or just ignore them completely.  Now we begin to realize what treasures they are because of the love of Jesus for them.  That love is not something that is forced.  It is something that begins to well up inside of a person when he or she is responding to Jesus.  I just begin to see these people as important, and it has nothing to do with how they can help me.  That is why Paul so strongly says, “not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many.”  I do not ask, “What is good for me?”  Instead, I find myself asking, “What would be good for them?”  How can I be a pleasure to these people from whom I don’t need anything?  How could I make their day?  How could I bring a smile to their faces?  Again, what a contrast this is to idolatry.  While idolatry seeks a one way flow toward me, love is constantly aware of how Jesus would like to touch people through me in every circumstance.  Idolatry takes; love gives.  When He begins to open our hearts and eyes to this reality, the opportunities are endless.  Every cashier in every store I will ever visit is the potential recipient of His love.  How can I make their day?  Every person I will ever encounter at the mall or at an airport is the potential recipient of His love.  How can I bring a smile to their faces?  Every server at every restaurant where I will ever eat is the potential recipient of His love.  How can I be a pleasure to them?  Even closer to home, how can I be this to my close friends and loved ones every day?  Does my life bring a smile to their faces?  Is there anything I can do to make their day?  It is not difficult to understand that this is how people are won to Jesus.  As opposed to idolatry, where people are used and hurt, love treasures them and desires to offer something to them with no strings attached or hidden agendas.

Of course, winning people to Jesus in this way is a long road.  From living in this world, we are all accustomed to people wanting something from us.  We are almost conditioned to wonder at all times, “What do you want from me?”  Understandably, then, there can be a real skepticism even toward Christians who want to just show the love of Jesus to people.  Perhaps people have experienced before that church people are just one more group wanting something from you.  “We want you to come to our church, support us, or be an advertisement for our ministry.  We need you!”  People seeing the real love of Jesus --- with no strings attached and not seeking to get something --- is going to take time and patience.  That’s why Paul spoke in farming terms earlier in 1 Corinthians 3:6.  “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”  Who would want to invest their lives in planting and watering?  Everyone wants to be around for the harvest, and we all want to benefit from the harvest.  Doesn’t that sound like idolatry?  But Paul makes it clear that the real work of the kingdom, and of winning people to Jesus, is in the planting and watering.  That always takes time --- maybe longer than we realize.  For some people, perhaps it will take months, years, or even decades of being touched by the unconditional love of Jesus.  That’s what makes every moment and every opportunity precious.  It may not seem like a big deal on that busy day when I am just trying to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible and things are taking longer than I want.  That cashier can just blend into the rest of the store like another shelf or display.  Yet, it is an eternal moment and opportunity for that cashier to experience the love of Jesus through my life.  What might that one moment do in his or her life?  How might it fit into the process of planting and watering that the Holy Spirit is doing in that life?  I may never know, and that person may never come to my church or do anything that will ever help me.  I may never see him or her again.  But it matters, because he or she matters.  That is the love of God.  It is worth emphasizing one more time that this whole mindset and approach is not something I can do.  It is something I must become as I allow Jesus to just be who He is through my life.  It is who He is.

Won to what?

As Paul concludes these thoughts with this principle, “that they may be saved,” it seems important in our day to ask what people are being won or saved to.  While that may seem like a startling question, I believe it goes to the heart of why holiness still matters.  If the goal of eternity is only to get as many people as possible to decide to become Christians and/or to attend church, it changes our entire approach or “strategy.”  In this approach, we truly become something like salesmen.  If our main intent is to get them to come to church, then there are all manner of things that can become our priority or strategy in an effort to try to draw them.  The best and newest church architecture is always appealing.  Along with this, the highest quality worship and multimedia experience further serves to please people.  We can offer the best programs and entertainment experiences that satisfy every age group, so that every member of the family finds what he or she considers fun.  If we can get people to come to our church, and would like them to make decisions for Christ, we could present a watered-down gospel that speaks little of death or surrender, and seldom ever exposes God’s Word.  This kind of “inoffensive” Christianity would also help to maintain our church numbers as there would never be a need to confront or question how people live their lives.  Could such a lack of accountability be the reason that research shows there to be little difference between the way people live in the world as compared to many people in the church who name themselves as Christians?

This is the importance of the question.  What are people being won or saved to?  Paul had quite a different answer than the sales approach just described.  It is clear not only from 1 Corinthians, but from the entire New Testament, that people are not just being saved or won to an initial decision, but are being saved and won to Jesus Himself and His holiness.  He desires to take what He is and reproduce that in our lives.  “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”  Far from this being some higher calling for a select group, it is actually the fundamental of Christianity for all of us.  God’s plan is to produce the holiness of His Son, Jesus, in our lives through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.  That is the calling.  And how are people to be won to that?  There is certainly nothing wrong with many of the things mentioned above, like new church buildings, multimedia experiences, programs, or fun activities.  Yet, while these things may be the answer if we are just looking to fill up buildings and expand our attendance roles, they are not what wins people to Jesus, makes disciples, and leads them into His holiness.  God has a simple plan for how He makes disciples.  It takes place one at a time through people like us.  It is the reality of Jesus and the evidence of His holiness in our lives that leads someone else to the same.  The depth and intimacy of relationship with Jesus in our lives is what invites others.  Multimedia experience may draw people to a building, and there is nothing wrong with that.  But people are drawn to the depth and holiness of Jesus Christ by the congruity of our lives with who He is and what His Word says.  Children are won to Jesus and the riches of who He is by the depth of the relationship they see in the lives of the adults around them.  This kind of winsomeness knows no boundaries and works in all directions.  Adults can be won to Jesus by the reality they see in the lives of young people.  Co-workers, classmates, friends, and neighbors are all touched by the simple holiness of Jesus Christ that springs from the life of a person that just loves Him and is willing to respond with all of his or her heart.

Paul puts this another way in 2 Corinthians 2:14-17, where he writes:  “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.  For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.  To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.  And who is sufficient for these things?  For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.”  Note that in the last verse Paul emphasizes strongly that we are not “peddling” the Word of God.  That word in the original Greek language literally speaks of the activity of a retail dealer or even a “huckster.”  Paul’s constant emphasis is that we are not into sales!  The presentation of the gospel and winning people to Jesus is not any “bait and switch” in which we lure them in with some sweet deal and then tell them later about the real deal.  The previous verses speak more of what evangelism really is:  God spreading the fragrance of Christ through us to all the people around us.  A pastor friend of mine was looking at this very passage and said he was thinking about preaching a sermon entitled, “Do you stink?”  Whatever terms you may give to it, this does press the question as to what kind of spiritual fragrance or aroma is being spread to others through my life.  Most of us realize that fragrance is a powerful force in our lives and has strong connections to memories.  Many of us can remember particular places, times, people, and events because of some aroma that is connected to it.  In fact, sometimes it is a certain fragrance that brings back a memory.  Can you recall one of the worst aromas you have ever encountered in your life?  I have a vivid memory of one even as I write this.  What sense, feeling, or reaction did it produce in you at that time?  I remember feeling very ill, and wanting to get away from that location as quickly as possible!  On the other hand, can you recall one of your favorite or most pleasant aromas?  A freshly baked product just emerging from the oven comes to mind for me.  What sense, feeling, or reaction do these kinds of aromas produce in us?  Are they not quite the opposite of the bad odors?  While bad odors make us want to run away, pleasant aromas seem to draw people.  It’s funny how people tend to gather at the kitchen when that fragrance of freshly baked bread or cookies spreads throughout the house!  It draws them.

Which effect does my life have on people?  Does it cause people to want to run away from Jesus, or is it something that draws them?  Jesus wants to so produce the sweetness of His presence --- His holiness --- in our lives that it causes people to want to gather.  We all understand, and Paul makes it clear in 2 Corinthians 2, that some will choose not to respond to Jesus.  We can’t force them, and we would not want to do so.  Yet, wouldn’t many want to know Him if they could see how wonderful He really is?  Wouldn’t more people want to come to Him if they caught His actual fragrance?  How can I have that sweetness of His fragrance in my life so that others can experience it?  The answer seems to be in just knowing Him.  It seems that the closer I get with Him, the more I experience Him, and the more I respond to Him, the sweeter He becomes to me.  Many of the old song writers expressed this truth.

“Every day with Jesus

Is sweeter than the day before

Every day with Jesus

I love Him more and more.

Jesus saves and keeps me

And He’s the One I’m waiting for

Every day with Jesus

Is sweeter than the day before.”

“Sweeter as the years go by

Sweeter as the years go by,

Rricher fuller, deeper, Jesus’ love is sweeter,

Sweeter as the years go by.”

“The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

The more that I love Him, more love He bestows.

Each day is like heaven; my heart overflows.

The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.”

David wrote in Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good….”  It’s all true.  The longer we walk with Him and the more we know Him, the more we realize how sweet and wonderful He really is.  We keep discovering that He is more wonderful than we even knew.  We can never find a limit to His goodness, because there is none.  This points us to two remarkable realities.  One is that eternity is the ongoing discovery of Him --- the continuation forever of what has only begun here.  Secondly, our sharing of Him comes from an inexhaustible supply.  We can say to everyone around us, “Come, taste, and see.  There is plenty for everyone.”  Remember that wonderful aroma of the freshly baked product emerging from the oven.  Imagine being able to say to the whole world, “Come on over --- there’s plenty for you!”  That’s what we get to do with Jesus.  Know Him more, and let this fragrance of His reality draw everyone around us.  “There’s plenty for you.”  Is that taking place in me?  Maybe it’s time to get to know Him more, and to discover how sweet He is.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION

1.       Would I be willing to die to pride and allow God to reveal any ways in which I have been an offense to others?

2.       Who are some people that I seek to “please”?  In the light of the Word, is it actually love or idolatry?

3.       What kind of fragrance do I believe is being spread through my life to people around me?  To those closest to me, like family?  To those in public places, like store cashiers?

4.       Is Jesus sweeter to me than ever before?  Would I commit myself to just getting to know Him more and discovering anew, or for the first time, how good He really is?

The Family of Holiness

1 Corinthians 11:1

Discipleship is relationship

There is debate whether 1 Corinthians 11:1 is actually the beginning of a new section or the closing of the section in chapter 10 where we have been looking.  In reality, it is both.  It is important to remember that there were no chapter and verse divisions when the books of the Bible were written.  Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to the group of people there in order to express what the Holy Spirit had placed in his heart and mind.  While it may be difficult for us to see at times because of the distance of time and culture, there is a continuity of thought in this letter.  Therefore, chapter 11 verse 1 can be understood to be something like a “bridge.”  It ties up Paul’s thoughts on this previous matter from chapter 10 while, at the same time, providing the foundation for what is to come in chapter 11.

What is so striking is that Paul concludes these thoughts from chapter 10, and really the entire section of chapters 8-10, with a thought that seems so simple.  “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”  While this simple statement could almost make us wonder why he would conclude with this, we find that it is a common thought in the New Testament.

“Therefore I urge you, imitate me (1 Cor. 4:16).”

“For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.  And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:5-6).”

“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us (2 Thess. 3:7-9).”

“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:11-12).”

“Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct (Hebrews 13:7).”

This tells us a great deal about Paul’s thinking and what the heart of discipleship is all about.  First of all, there can be no question that discipleship is incarnational, or something that takes place “in the flesh,” which is the literal meaning of the word, “incarnation.”  When we read what Paul wrote to the churches and see what kind of relationship he had with them, it becomes noticeable how important it was that he had been with them.  The people were able to actually see and know, in person, “what kind of men we were among you.”  It makes sense that discipleship is incarnational because of the pattern established by our Lord Jesus.  God reached us by coming to us where we are.  “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).”  In His eternal love and wisdom, God planned that His glory, grace, and truth --- who He is --- would be manifested in the flesh through the Person of Jesus Christ.  “No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (John 1:18).”  Jesus went on to teach the disciples that this would then take place through them when His Spirit came to live in them.  The disciples would become the incarnational demonstration of Jesus in their day.  This is the blueprint that God has designed.  Jesus is the prototype, and discipleship will always take place through the demonstration of Him in the lives of people just like us.

As we dig deeper into how this was lived out in Paul’s life, we find an amazing and moving expression of it.  When we turn to the mention of “imitate me” that Paul made back in chapter 4, the verses around that reference reveal more of the depth of what was in his heart toward the Corinthians.  Consider the picture of the relationship which he had with them.

“I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.  For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.  Therefore I urge you, imitate me.  For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church (1 Cor. 4:14-17).”

Paul clearly expressed that he was the spiritual father of the Corinthians, and that they were his spiritual children.  Far from this being a unique occurrence, we find that it really seems to be Paul’s common mindset toward those he was discipling.  In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul makes statements like the following:

“But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children (1 Thess. 2:7).”

“You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children (1 Thess. 2:10-11).”

It is also quite obvious in his writing to and about Timothy that Paul considered Timothy a “son” in the Lord.  This was true of various other men that Paul was discipling, including Titus.  It all reveals that spiritual “parenting” was Paul’s ongoing “method” of discipleship.  This kind of heart and attitude toward discipleship asks for a deeper kind of relationship with the one being discipled.  It asks us to get involved in their lives instead of keeping a distance.  Most all of us can understand that this is true in the actual raising of children in a home environment.  Children have a better opportunity for learning and being shaped in a positive way when they have a parent who is more engaged.  When the parent is more “distant” or disengaged, it is generally true that there is more of a negative effect on the child.  God’s design is that children be shaped by parents, and nothing can change that blueprint.  Is it not the same in the spiritual realm?  God’s plan is for Christians to have spiritual parents --- someone to look up to and through whom we can be shaped.  “Imitate me as I also imitate Christ.”  I have a friend who is a pastor, and his father was also a pastor.  It is always a joy for me to hear this friend speak about his father.  He talks to his father on a regular basis.  He regularly calls his father for advice and guidance.  What a wonderful thing this never grows old and it is never something that is outgrown.  For, as my friend gets older, so also does his father.  Wherever my friend goes and whatever he is experiencing, he seems to have someone who has been there before him.  What a wonderful design of God for us to have and be spiritual parents!  Whom has God placed in my life that has been a spiritual parent to me?  Whom has He placed in my life as a spiritual son or daughter?

This “family” view of discipleship points to an ever deeper truth that is evident in the life of the Apostle Paul:  He deeply loves these people.  One of the most striking features throughout Paul’s letters is the deep care and affection he has for the people to whom he is writing.  We commonly find the term “beloved” used in reference to someone, as when Paul was speaking of Timothy in 1 Corinthians 4.  When we begin looking for them, we find these kinds of reference to people to be plentiful throughout Paul’s letters.  It is more than just a polite manner of speaking for him.  It reflects a heart of very deep affection.  The extent of this affection can hardly be overstated.  One good example of this may be seen again in his first letter to the Thessalonians.  Paul writes to them:

“So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us (1 Thess. 2:8).”

This same kind of tone continues throughout 1 Thessalonians, and throughout all of Paul’s letters.  Consider that 1 Corinthians may have been at least one of the most difficult letters that Paul had to write because of the need for confrontation on some points.  Yet, even in this letter, Paul refers to these people as his “beloved children.”  When we read these letters, we see before us a man who is overcome with love and care, and who cannot help but let that affection be demonstrated toward the ones to whom he is writing.

Perhaps this says all that needs to be said about discipleship.  If you really want to disciple people, just love them --- which is the fundamental of holiness.  Discipleship is not a program.  It is about people.  Programs can tend to focus on the numbers and what we can measure.  How can we measure a life that is simply given away in love for others?  It is impossible to measure the effects of Jesus’ life through the Apostle Paul.  We have no records of church attendance, giving records, or numbers of baptism in the early churches.  In fact, Paul even seems to forget about that kind of counting back in 1 Corinthians 1:17.  Yet, we know of the eternal impact of this love of Jesus through him, and our lives are even being affected to this day.  That is the way God always seems to work.  His love is exponential.  It grows in effect and sends out ripples in the pond which may never be measured in this lifetime, but will be evident in eternity.  Whom has God placed in my life at this time to be the object of that kind of love?  For whom is the love of Jesus overflowing in my heart?

Becoming

If this kind of love is going to be demonstrated to people, if we are to be spiritual parents and make disciples, if people are to “imitate me as I also imitate Christ,” it is fairly obvious, then, that this is going to take place in everyday life.  Perhaps this is why Paul sometimes spent longer periods of time with the churches than I had previously realized.  His stay in Corinth was eighteen months.  His stay in Ephesus was two years.  It is one thing to simply come in and preach for a day.  It is quite another thing to live among people and allow them to see your life on a daily basis.  This is why Paul wrote so passionately in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 that he desired “to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives.”  Paul was no “hit and run” preacher.  His purpose was not to “blow in, blow up, and blow out”!  For him, it was not just about having churches.  It was always about relationship.  Therefore, it was crucial for him to live among the people so that they could not only hear the gospel, but also see it in everyday life.  It is one thing to hear a sermon on Sunday.  Its power multiplies when you can see that same truth lived throughout the week in the realities of everyday existence.  This is the principle Charles Kraft was teaching in Communication Theory for Christian Witness, when he wrote:

“The basic implication of the Christian message is, then, that the Christian message is a life message, not simply a word message.  I believe this fact has high significance for us who seek to transmit God’s message to others.  For if the message is life, only life is an adequate vehicle for its transmission.  If the message is merely words conveying information, then words are adequate vehicles.  It is worth asking, What happens to a life message if it is reduced to mere words conveying mere information?  Is not the message itself changed?”

The reality of home life and raising children again demonstrates how this works.  How often is it true that a child’s behavior in public is just a reflection of what is happening on an everyday basis and/or what they are seeing at home?  The old (and terribly wrong) parental adage, “Do as I say and not as I do,” does not work very well.  Children learn by seeing and hearing repeatedly.  They learn just as much or more from the walk as they do from the talk.  The discrepancy between walk and talk is what causes a stumbling block for so many.  Yet, the congruency of a person’s walk and talk is the most powerful witness of the gospel in this world.  That is what holiness is all about --- Jesus living out who He is in our everyday lives.

Since this is what holiness and discipleship are all about, it is going to require constant growth in the life of the discipler -- the spiritual parent – just as in the life of the disciple.  The only real discipler is the one who is a disciple himself or herself.   This is why Paul chose to use a word in 1 Corinthians 11:1 that does not always show up in the English translations.  If translated literally, the verse actually reads something like, “BECOME imitators of me, just as I also [am becoming an imitator] of Christ.”  The verb “become” literally means “to come into being.”  What is especially significant here is that this verb is in the present imperative.  The imperative mood means that it is a “must.”  This is crucial.  Even more importantly, the present tense communicates that it is an ongoing action.  An even better translation might be something like, “Be becoming imitators of me, just as I also [am becoming an imitator] of Christ.”  This becoming and growing in Jesus as a disciple is something that is always unfolding and increasing.  There is no point of arrival for the disciple where he or she can say, “I’m all done and don’t need to grow any more.”  We are all growing in Christ, from the day we are saved until the day we go to heaven, and even more in eternity, I believe.

It is absolutely crucial that this openness and seeking be the attitude in the life of every disciple.  “Arrival” mentality means not only the ceasing of all growth, but it acts like poison to the Christian life.  If this attitude is left unchecked, it will eventually kill my spiritual life and can poison others.  We can easily see how critical all of this is in discipleship as spiritual parents model life for spiritual sons and daughters in the Lord.  The only real Christian leadership that we can ever offer anyone else is the spiritual growth happening in our own lives.  The way to make disciples of Jesus Christ is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  The way to encourage others to grow in Him is to be growing myself.  What they see happening in my everyday life and on an ongoing basis will be what disciples them.  I still have many human limitations, and I demonstrate lots of areas which need growth.  But there is something about a person that is honestly seeking to respond to Jesus with all of his or her heart.  Jesus will demonstrate Himself even through the limitations, and that will be what disciples others.

Gymnasium of life

How can my life have this kind of quality, integrity, and holiness?  How can I “be becoming” such a disciple that makes other disciples in this way?   Very simply, is that why we are still in this world – that God may work out His holiness in our lives and demonstrate Himself through us.  He has chosen to use life itself as the way in which He works this out in our lives.  Most often it is not the grand events or high moments God is using to shape us.  Instead, He is working through the day-to-day, ordinary, and even mundane things of life to achieve His purposes in us.  How often do I wish away the mundane things of life?  I can so easily get bored with the routine things of life and wish for something different, more exciting, or “bigger.”  In contrast, the scriptures are so plain about being thankful for all things.  “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thess. 5:16-18).”  What would happen in my life if I just continually thanked God for everything?  I could thank God for every mundane, ordinary, unexciting detail of my life.  Every routine or small thing could be the opportunity to praise and thank Him.  Why?  I can thank Him because He is good, and because He is working through those “small” things to produce the nature of Jesus in me.

I seem to have the tendency to be into the “big” things, while God is always working in the mundane.  I look forward to graduation, while He is forming His nature in me through the classes day after day and week after week.  I look forward to preaching, while He is forming His nature in me through the study and preparation over the days and weeks.  I look forward to going to church, while He is forming His nature in me in the time getting ready that morning and in the car on the way to church.  I look forward to vacation, while He is forming His nature in me by the seemingly endless months of work.  I look forward to the big conference, while He is forming His nature in me through the weeks leading up to it and following it.  I look forward to the party, while He is forming His nature in me through the clean-up before and afterward.  I look forward to heaven, while all the time on this earth He is forming His nature in me through every moment and everything that happens today.  What is the most mundane or least desirable chore I have in my life?  What if I saw it as the very thing that God is using at this time to form the nature of Jesus Christ in me?  I could begin to be thankful for these very things and cherish the opportunity to know Him in them.  These are the things through which His holiness is being produced in me.

This makes even more sense of Paul’s statement to the Corinthians.  “Imitate me as I also imitate Christ.”  What exactly was Paul asking them to imitate and follow?  Was it a command to follow and imitate Paul’s preaching and how he was at church?  While it must have included that, it is really an invitation to see what was happening in Paul’s everyday life.  See Jesus in Paul’s life when he is setting up his tentmaking stand in the marketplace and dealing with difficult customers.  See Jesus in Paul when he is tired and hungry after a long day of work.  See Jesus in Paul when he does not know how he will get the money to pay for what is needed.  See Jesus in Paul when he is sick, or beaten, or left for dead.  See Jesus in Paul no matter what the situation.  Paul had committed his entire life to knowing Jesus and allowing Jesus to produce His nature in him.  It is clear from his writings that Paul realized that this was something that God would do over the long haul and through the routine, mundane, and even painful things of life.  If we only turn back to 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, we see his attitude in this.

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.  Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.  Therefore I run thus:  not with uncertainty.  Thus I fight:  not as one who beats the air.  But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

Paul viewed his entire life and everything in it as his spiritual gymnasium.  He had the focus and view that God had provided everything in his life as the opportunity to look to Jesus more and to become stronger in Him.  Therefore, Paul could be content in every situation and trust that the nature of Jesus was being formed in him even through the most routine, mundane, or humble things.  That, for Paul, was life in the spiritual gym.

There seems to be a growing phenomenon in our culture of people joining fitness clubs or gyms.  It is quite a commitment of time, energy, and money.  Some people go on a daily basis or even use their lunch hour to go work out.  It requires a great prioritization of time, money, and a choice of what one must sacrifice in order to get into the desired condition.  The result for many is a fit body, or at least a better quality of physical health.  In any case, there were no shortcuts to get there.  Health and fitness took place in the continuous routine of working out.  It may not have always been exciting, and was probably sometimes painful.  Yet, people decide every day that it is worth the sacrifice, patience, and commitment to have this result in their physical bodies --- in something that is temporary.

What is my spiritual gymnasium at this time in my life?  What situation, chore, responsibility, time of waiting, or any other difficult thing has God graciously provided for me at this time?  Whatever it is, I can be sure that He has the same purpose in it that He always has.  He desires for me to know Him and to produce His nature in me during this very day.  He desires to do something in me that will increase and last forever.  It is an “imperishable” crown.  In the June 15 entry of “My Utmost for His Highest,” Oswald Chambers wrote:

“Drudgery is the touchstone of character. The great hindrance in spiritual life is that we will look for big things to do. ‘Jesus took a towel…and began to wash the disciples' feet.’ There are times when there is no illumination and no thrill, but just the daily round, the common task. Routine is God's way of saving us between our times of inspiration.  Do not expect God always to give you His thrilling minutes, but learn to live in the domain of drudgery by the power of God.”

This gives such a different perspective on the details of everyday living.  Chores need no longer be just a grind.  Times of waiting no longer need to be times of discouragement.  Difficult times no longer need to be times of despair.  I can trust Jesus in a new way in all of life’s details and know that He is producing His holiness in me through every minute, no matter how insignificant it may seem.  This is my spiritual gymnasium.  He is working something out in me that will show forth and last forever.

Would I sign up for this?  One thing about the spiritual gymnasium is that it is a daily sign-up.  I wish I could be in shape all at once and once for all.  That is obviously not the way it works in the physical realm, and neither is it the way it works in the spiritual life.  Spiritual growth is a daily sign-up and decision to allow Him to work in me.  Someone may say, “But I don’t think I have the strength to continue on in that way.”  The amazing truth of Christianity is that He will supply the strength as well as the opportunity for that strength to be exercised, if I am just willing to respond to Him.  Will I walk through wherever He leads me, trust Him, and allow Him to form His nature in me?

There is one more thing about this spiritual gymnasium.  If we allow Jesus to form His holiness in us, we will find it also affecting everyone around us.  In this way, perhaps I could think of my signing up daily as a “family membership.”  While I cannot make the decision for anyone else, it is a sure thing that my loved ones will see what He is doing in my life.  My life will be the invitation for them to experience the same.  The way to make disciples of Jesus Christ is to be one myself.  The way to encourage others to grow in Him is to be growing in Him myself.  “Imitate me as I also imitate Christ.”  Would it be worth signing up for this every day if it made disciples of everyone around me?

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION

1.       Whom has God placed in my life at this time to be a spiritual son or daughter in the Lord?  Have I allowed Jesus to give me an overflowing love for them?

2.       What is that person(s) seeing me “becoming”?  How am I discipling them?

3.       What “drudgery” in life is my spiritual gymnasium right now?  Will I allow Jesus to work His nature out in me through this time?

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Foundation of Holiness

The Freedom of Holiness

The Fellowship of Holiness

The Face of Holiness

The Fragrance of Holiness

The Family of Holiness